Companion
by PacificRomance
Summary: Blair Waldorf was destined to rule, no matter where she was, and Chuck Bass was always right there beside her, helping her achieve everything she ever wanted.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi. I know I haven't written in quite a while, but I've been super busy. I'm going to be completely honest here, I probably shouldn't start another multi-chapter, but I'm going to anyway. And these updates are definitely not going to be quick for the most part, they will probably take a while, but they will come at some point. Hahaha.

But about the story, this is AU and the first two chapters are going to be mostly set up but then after that it should get into the plot. Enjoy!

……………………..

Blair Waldorf was destined to rule, no matter where she went.

She was a Waldorf, one of the oldest, richest, and most influential families in New York. She was the granddaughter of Harold and Eleanor Waldorf, the most revered couple in the city.

Just because her parents had moved her out of the city, that didn't mean any of that had changed.

When Blair was six years old, her little sister was born and her parents began thinking about moving their family to the suburbs, and when they had another baby girl two years later, they finally made the decision to move across the bridge to New Jersey. Blair's father, Harold Jr., commuted into the city everyday to work at his father's law firm while Blair's mother, Rose, stayed at home with the children.

Blair did not approve of the move, and even at eight years old she expected to always get her way. So when they left the city, or 'her kingdom' as her grandparents said, she was very upset. She loved New York. She loved being wealthy and being a member of the elite. She loved the sense of entitlement and the special treatment.

In New Jersey there was none of that. When she went to school, the other kids didn't know what being a Waldorf meant, and they didn't treat her any differently. They didn't give her the respect she deserved, and she did not appreciate it.

Her parents had moved their family to the suburbs so their children could be raised differently; so they could be protected from the cutthroat world of the Upper Eastside. But for Blair it was too little, too late. She was old enough that she understood the world she had been a part of, and she had loved it.

Even after her parents moved her to New Jersey, Blair still spent a great deal of time in Manhattan. She convinced her parents to allow her to stay with her grandparents almost every weekend, so she was still able to attend the fancy parties and live the privileged life she loved.

Her grandparents, especially her grandmother, were very prim and proper, so Blair always had to be on her best behavior when she stayed with them. They could be very harsh and critical, but Blair was by far their favorite grandchild and they made it their job to mold her into the society darling she had always been destined to become.

Blair worked very hard to make both her grandparents and her parents proud, which was no easy task. Her parents wanted her to be a normal teenager and make friends at her new school while her grandparents wanted her to stay true to her last name and become a proper Upper Eastside woman. Winning the approval of others was very important to Blair, so she tried her very best to make everyone happy.

She followed more along the lines of her grandparents' wishes, but mostly because her parents already disapproved of her love for the city and they spent more time doting on her younger sisters than paying attention to what she did.

……

Chuck Bass was new money. His father, Bart Bass, was considered to be sleazy and opportunistic and most of the Upper Eastside elite, including the Waldorfs, despised him, although they all tolerated him because of many business ventures and financial holdings. Blair's grandparents had taught her that people like the Bass', or 'new money filth' as they called them, were only slightly above middle class and were therefore beneath her.

But when Chuck Bass walked into Blair's third grade classroom in New Jersey on the first day of school, she had never been happier to see him. He may not have had the same elite status as her, but he was closer to her level than any of the other children in their school. He was at least from the Upper Eastside. Blair instantly made him her new companion, deciding that her grandparents would understand her choice if they saw the other middle class riff-raff she had to pick from.

Chuck's parents had recently divorced and his mother, who had never really enjoyed city life in the first place, decided to move Chuck to the suburbs in part because she wanted to keep him out of the Upper Eastside and also because she wanted to spite his father in whatever way she could.

Chuck and his mother, Misty, had moved to a big house only a few blocks away from the Waldorfs, and Misty had started her own catering business which kept her busy throughout the week and especially on the weekends. From Friday to Monday she would be gone from early in the morning until late into the night, which worked out great because Chuck spent nearly every weekend with his father. Well, he actually spent them at his father's penthouse with the maid. Usually one night would involve some fancy Upper Eastside event, but the rest of the weekend Chuck would spend watching TV and eating room service.

Every Friday, a limo came and picked Chuck up from school to bring him to his father's penthouse apartment in the city, and most weekends Blair was picked up along with him. She was going into the city anyway to stay with her grandparents, so it was just easier for her to go with Chuck and get dropped off by his limo.

When they were younger, the limo rides were usually the only time they saw each other over the weekend, unless they ended up at the same event or party with their respective adult supervisors.

But as they got older, they began spending more time in the city socializing with other Upper Eastside kids and away from the adults. Blair had quickly raised herself to the position of queen among her peers, even though she didn't technically live in New York, and Chuck had established himself as a womanizing bad boy and Blair's right-hand man. Everyone knew to stay on their good side, because angering the team of Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass would easily result in total social destruction.

By the time they entered high school, Chuck and Blair were virtually inseparable. Blair had decided, and Chuck had agreed, that they should make it their goal to completely rule their pathetic suburban high school by Christmas of their freshman year. Together, they schemed and manipulated, beginning with the other freshman and working their way up to the senior class. They created scandals and rumors and Chuck would even sleep with any girls that were particularly difficult to dethrone.

By the first week of December it had all paid off and they had reached their goal. Blair was the undisputed queen of their school and dating the senior football captain. Chuck, for the most part, let Blair enjoy the spotlight and could be found sauntering behind her with a slight smirk on his face and the confidence that only came with the knowledge that he was on top. Chuck had never been picky when it came to women, and depending on the weekend plans he would end up hooking up with a New York society girl or a suburban cheerleader, or even sometimes a college student or a model. Blair, on the other hand, was more of a relationship sort of person, but she dated both boys from the city and from New Jersey. She tended to alternate; dating a boy from the city, breaking up with him, dating a suburban boy, breaking up with him, dating another city boy, etc.

But no matter how long her relationships lasted or how serious they were, she never slept with any of her boyfriends. Her first boyfriend, the senior football captain, had tried to push her to have sex, and she had almost given in. She had planned to sleep with him after they had dated for 5 months, but the day before their big date Chuck heard him bragging in the boy's bathroom about the bet he made with his buddies that he could get Blair to give up her virginity before their 6 month anniversary. Naturally, Chuck informed her of her boyfriend's little bet and she promptly ended things with him. She acted surprised a few weeks later when he got accused of plagiarism and was expelled from school. He ended up losing his football scholarship and had to go to community college instead of the state university. Blair had no idea how Chuck did it, but she made sure to send him a grateful look when she heard about the scandal.

After that, Blair never even came close to sleeping with another guy. Sex was all about control, and she realized that once she gave it up, she no longer had control, and that was not acceptable. So far, all the guys she had dated had been for fun or to improve her social standing. None of them were serious relationships that she could see lasting in the longer term. Blair decided that she wasn't going to even consider sex until she was with someone she actually cared about; until she was with someone she loved.

Once they had entered high school, Chuck and Blair became choosier with their weekend activities. They still spent most weekends in the city at fancy parties or at clubs with other Manhattan teenagers, but if there was a big social event or party among their high school 'friends,' they would stick around and attend. After all, they were the leaders of the school, it was required that they attend at least some of the clichéd suburban activities, like school dances and keg parties, even if they did pale in comparison to the more sophisticated events they were used to.

By the time she was 14, Blair had made her dreams a reality. She was the queen not only of New York City, but also of her suburban high school. And Chuck, well, he was her partner in crime and her best friend. No one else could understand what her life in suburbia was like or what is was like to have to split her time between two very different worlds and still maintain respect and power in both. Chuck understood her, and that was why he was her best friend, despite the disapproval from her family and the rest of Manhattan's elite.

………………

A/N: Just for clarification, the suburb that Chuck and Blair live in is extremely wealthy. I grew up in northern New Jersey about 20 minutes outside of New York City, and one of the counties there was one of the richest in the country, so that's where I imagine they would live. And when I'm writing, I'm totally picturing the high school that some of my friends went to. Lol. But anyway please review! K thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Serena Vander Woodsen had always been a part of the lower middle class. She had lived in rural Pennsylvania her entire life with her mother, Lily, and her brother, Erik. Lily had always had to work two jobs just to make ends meet each week. They had never had very many luxuries, but they were happy and they loved each other and Serena wouldn't have traded her life for all the riches in the world.

But everything she knew was turned upside down one warm summer day when she was 14 years old. Her mom and Erik were on their way to pick her up from a friend's house when they were involved in a head-on collision. They both were killed instantly.

And just like that, everything that Serena had ever known had disappeared. She was sent to New Jersey to live with her mother's artist sister, Allison and her writer husband, Rufus. Allison and Rufus Humphrey had two children, Dan and Jenny.

Dan was 21 when Serena moved in and he was a musician. After graduating from high school Dan had decided to pursue his love of music and had loaded up a van with his best friend/roadie/manager, Nate Archibald, to travel around the country and play gigs wherever he could.

Jenny was extremely artistic, like her mother, and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. She was 18 and dreading her senior year of high school. Jenny was sort of an introvert and she could come across as kind of a bitch to people who didn't really know her. And her dark fashion sense and heavy eyeliner didn't help with people's first impressions of her. She didn't have any friends at her school and she was made fun of constantly and considered to be an outcast.

At first Serena hated New Jersey and she missed her mother and her brother, but slowly she began to adjust. She enjoyed going to her aunt's art shows and attending concerts and poetry readings with her Uncle Rufus and Jenny. And she always had so much fun when Dan and Nate were in town. Jenny and Serena would go to Dan's show and afterwards the four of them would always go to an all-night diner or back to the Humphrey house or to Dan and Nate's hotel room and just spend the rest of the night joking and laughing and having a good time.

When school started up, Serena didn't stick out too much. She was a freshman, so she wasn't the only new face in her classes. She kept mostly to herself at school. The only other person she talked to was Jenny, who was a senior, so Serena was only able to see her at lunch.

Serena made it through that first year just fine. She studied hard and did well in her classes. She worked at Allison's art gallery after school and on the weekends she would go out with Jenny and if Dan had a show nearby they would go and see him play and hang out with the boys afterwards.

But as her sophomore year neared, Serena became more and more anxious. Jenny had graduated and left for college, and Dan and Nate were still touring around the country, so she had absolutely no one. She planned on focusing even harder on her schoolwork and putting in more hours at the gallery.

But on the first day of school all her plans were ruined.

Her third period class was chemistry and they were assigned lab partners, except her class had an odd number of students so there had to be one group of three. Mr. Pizer, the chemistry teacher, was just like every other teacher and student in the school and knew that he needed to keep Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass happy, which in this case meant making them partners. But Mr. Pizer was slightly bitter over the power Chuck and Blair had in the school, so while he was not brave enough to separate them, he decided to do the next best thing, and he placed them in the group of three along with Serena Vander Woodsen.

When the pairs were announced, Serena placed her head in her hands and groaned quietly. She could not believe this was happening to her. She had never actually spoken to either Blair or Chuck, but she knew of their reputation and she had spent her whole freshman year doing her best to avoid them.

But now here they were, walking towards her, Blair with her head held high and her nose in the air and Chuck strolling closely behind her with a predatory leer on his face. Serena took a deep breath and sat up straighter. She refused to be scared of them. Just because they thought they were better than her or anyone else didn't mean that they actually were.

When they sat down on either side of her she looked them both up and down with raised eyebrows before introducing herself, "Hi. I'm Serena."

"We know." Blair said flippantly without even looking at Serena as she smoothed down her hair and checked her reflection in her compact. After a moment, Blair closed the compact and finally looked at the girl next to her, "Now," she said in an authoritarian voice, "I hope you are not completely inept when it comes to chemistry. My grades are _very_ important to me. If I want to go to Columbia, I need to stay right at the top of our class. My parents have done more than enough damage forcing me to attend this _public_ school." Her face scrunched up in disdain at her last words.

Chuck merely rolled his eyes, "Oh please, Blair. Like your grandparents couldn't buy your way into Columbia."

"That's not the point, Charles. Just because you Bass' throw your money around to get what you want, doesn't mean we all do that. The Waldorf's have more class than that."

Chuck snorted and continued to smirk as Blair turned back to the other girl, "So I was thinking we could start working tonight. You don't have plans do you?"

"Um, not really…"

"Good. We'll come by your place at like 7?" It was presented as a question, but Serena got the feeling that it was more of a command.

"Why exactly are we meeting?" She asked with just a hint of defiance in her voice.

Of course both Chuck and Blair had picked up on it. Chuck's smirk only grew as his gaze shifted between the two girls, waiting to see what would happen. Blair's eyes widened slightly before a small, cool smile formed on her lips, "To start planning out the assignments, of course. This is advanced chemistry. If we don't stay on top of things from the beginning, then before you know it we'll get behind and then we won't have time for parties and socializing and that is just completely unacceptable."

Serena just stared at her for a minute before she turned to Chuck, "Is she always this neurotic?"

Blair looked shocked for a moment before she shook her head and smiled as Chuck just laughed, "Absolutely. You get used to it."

…….

That night, at 7 o'clock on the dot, Chuck and Blair showed up at the Humphrey's house. Serena looked surprised when she opened the door to see them standing there. She ushered them in as she asked, "How did you know where I lived?"

Chuck had another amused expression on his face as Blair smiled like she was explaining something to a child, "Sweetie, just because we've never really interacted before this doesn't mean we didn't know who you were. We know everything."

"Oh really?" Serena said skeptically.

"Of course. We know that you spent last year hanging around Crazy Jenny. We know that she is your cousin and that you came to live here with her and her parents after your mom died in an accident."

Serena's mouth hung open before she managed to stutter, "W-what? But-, but how? How did you-? No one here knows-"

"Serena, you need to understand. We're not like everyone else. There is a reason we've ruled this school since we were freshman. There is a reason we rose to the top so quickly. You can't hide anything from us."

Serena was still completely baffled as Blair brushed past her and into the living room, "Now, enough about that. Let's get to work on some chemistry!"

…

A few hours later, Blair and Chuck were getting ready to leave when Blair turned to Serena with a satisfied smile, "See, aren't you glad we did this? Now you won't have to worry about chemistry at all this weekend! You'll be completely free for whatever plans you have."

"Great." Serena muttered.

Blair's face fell slightly as she frowned at the blonde girl standing before her, "What? You don't have any plans? It's the first weekend of the school year! There's always a huge party."

Serena rolled her eyes, "Oh right, I must have misplaced my invite."

Chuck smirked, "Don't worry Blondie, it's usually really lame anyway."

"Yeah," Blair chimed in, "We're not even going this year. Chuck's dad is hosting a big charity ball in Manhattan so we're going to that instead."

"It's going to be great." Chuck said sarcastically.

Blair hit him lightly on the chest, "Oh come on, Chuck. It is going to be fun! The champagne, the fancy dresses, the dancing! Ah, I can't wait!" She said as she clasped her hands together like a little girl.

Chuck watched Blair and her excitement with a mixture of amusement and tenderness in his eyes. Suddenly, Blair's eyes widened with an idea and she turned to Serena and exclaimed, "You should come!"

"Uh, what?"

"You should come to the ball with us! It will be so much fun! We can dress up and get our hair and make-up done. Have you ever been to a ball before?"

"Um, no, not really…"  
"Oh, they are so much fun! You should definitely come with us!" Blair's eyes were practically dancing with excitement.

"I don't know…"

"Why not? What else are you going to do? Sit here and bond with the Humphreys over poetry and art?"

"No. I-, I don't know. I wouldn't have anything to wear to a ball!"

Blair laughed, "Oh, don't worry about that! I have a ton of stuff you could borrow. Plus, this only adds to the fun. Now we can go shopping!"

Serena sighed, "Well, I guess…"

"Great!" Blair interrupted. "We'll talk about it more tomorrow. You're going to sit with us at lunch, right?"

Another command posed as a question, Serena noted, but she found herself smiling and nodding as Blair and Chuck walked out the door.

"See you tomorrow, S!" Blair called out as she left.

Chuck turned and smirked at her, "Bye Charity." He said right before he closed the door.

"Charity?" Serena muttered to herself as she thought about what had just happened. Blair almost never invited people to sit by them at lunch. They had their designated table where they sat together with Blair's boyfriend of the moment and a few select, privileged others (usually hot girls that Chuck was hooking up with). It hadn't really sunk in with Serena that she had just been invited into their exclusive clique.

The next day, Serena sat with Chuck and Blair at lunch. Chuck had his customary place on Blair's right side and Serena sat where Blair's boyfriends had typically sat, on the left.

When Chuck was distracted by one of the cheerleaders sitting nearby, Serena asked Blair, who was busy looking at the cheerleader in disgust, what he had meant when he had called her 'Charity' the night before. Blair tore her eyes away from the overly affectionate pair and laughed with a wave of her hand. She told Serena that Chuck had gotten the idea that she was merely Blair's latest charity project. He believed Serena would be her new, poor orphan friend, but Blair assured her that was not the case.

"You've got some spunk; some attitude." Blair told her, "I like it. I'm intrigued."

Serena wasn't entirely sure what the other girl meant by that, but it seemed to be a good thing.

She attended the ball with Blair and Chuck that weekend and it served as her introduction to the Upper Eastside as the newest edition to Blair and Chuck's little group. After that night she was firmly in place as Blair's new best friend (other than Chuck) and Chuck soon accepted that she was not just another Good Samaritan project for Blair, although he did still call her Charity occasionally.

Serena was the perfect addition into their world, and both Chuck and Blair quickly realized how well she fit in with them. She was witty and strong-willed enough to keep up with them and occasionally put them in their place, but she was also naïve and kind enough to not want to take their power or to pose a threat to their position.

She soon became comfortable with her new friends and she realized they weren't what she had always thought they were. Sure, they could be manipulative and down-right cruel sometimes, but with the people they really cared about they were both extremely kind and loyal. They were always inviting her to fancy events and parties, and even though she couldn't afford pretty much all of the restaurants and clubs they went to or the clothes they wore, Chuck and Blair always made sure to take care of it for her.

Before she knew it, Chuck and Blair, two of the most self-centered, greedy people she had ever meant, had become the best friends she had ever had, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

……

A/N: So, just so you all know, the whole premise of this story is taken from another story thing that I came up with that is not related to gossip girl and has like a ton more characters. There were 2 characters who were kind of based of Chuck and Blair and then I just decided to actually make it about C&B and I got rid of a bunch of the characters and changed some of the other ones around a bit to fit into this story and to fit them closer to characters from the show.

So yea, I don't know exactly how much I'm going to go into anything with Dan/Nate/Jenny/Serena in this story or more specifically Nate/Serena since there characters have a whole story on their own, but maybe after I could do like a sequel or something. I'm not sure. We'll see. Obviously, no matter what I decide, you will at least get hints of N/S in this story.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi. so this chapter is like 2 years later (aka they are seniors in high school). It says that in the first line, but I just wanted everyone to be aware of that. So like, Serena has been friends with them for like 2 years now. Haha. okay thats it. I hope you like it! :)

* * *

About half way through their senior year, Chuck's father was about to open yet another club. Even though they were underage, Blair and Serena were invited as Chuck's guests. Of course, the fact that Blair's Waldorf name always attracted media attention also played a role in Bart allowing her to attend.

On the day of the opening, Chuck approached Blair and Serena at lunch.

"Hello, ladies." He said as he slid easily into his customary seat next to them.

"Hi, Chuck." Blair said cheerfully as Serena glanced up and flashed him a quick smile before turning her attention back to her yogurt.

"I have some female company waiting by my locker, but I just wanted to stop by first and let you both know that the limo is going to pick us up out front promptly at 3." Chuck said with his usual smirk.

"I can't come." Blair said simply, not even looking up from her fruit cup.

Chuck's smirk dropped, "What do you mean you can't come?" He asked darkly, "You promised you would be at the opening. My dad loves you; that's the only reason he even let's me go to these things. Because he knows you'll come and you'll 'keep me in line.'"

Blair rolled her eyes and replied with a smirk, "No, it's because he wants you to knock me up so the Bass and Waldorf names can be tied together forever. Plus, he loves the publicity I bring." Chuck continued to glare at her angrily, causing her to become more serious and sigh, "The club doesn't open until 10. I'll be at your place by 9 at the very latest. But I can't go to the city with you after school. I have to go home and go into the city with my family. We have to go to dinner with my grandparents since they 'haven't seen the little girls in so long.'" She said with another eye roll.

"Well, that sounds fun!" Serena said enthusiastically.

Blair scowled, "It will _not_ be fun; it is going to be awkward. I can tell you right now what is going to happen the entire night. My grandparents are going to brag about how all of their friends keep commenting on what a fine young lady I'm becoming and how I'm making them proud. My parents will listen with barely veiled disgust and try to steer the conversation towards my sisters and their little suburban accomplishments, which will only make my grandparents frown in repulsion. It's going to be awful. I'm going to get out of there as fast as I can so we can get ready for the club opening."

"You better be there and ready before 10 or my father is going to be pissed. And he won't be angry with you; he'll undoubtedly find some way to make your tardiness my fault." Chuck said bitterly, as he stood up to leave.

"Well, I have to get going. A certain red-head is awaiting me." He straightened his jacket and turned towards Serena, "Just a reminder Charity, the limo will be here at 3. Don't be late." He said bluntly as he walked away without giving Blair a second glance, still upset that she wasn't going to be coming with them.

"Great" Serena muttered under her breath as Blair snorted and shook her head, dismissing his anger with the knowledge that he would be over it by the time she saw him later that night.

Serena turned to her best friend and gave her a dirty look. "Thanks for leaving me alone with him all afternoon. Really, I appreciate it." She said sarcastically.

Blair sighed and threw her hands in the air dramatically, "I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, you guys are friends, right?"

"Yeah, we are, but only because we're both friends with _you_. I don't know if you have noticed, but Chuck and I don't really have a lot in common, and he's not exactly the friendliest guy."

"Well, not on the outside!" Blair said defensively, "But you know that deep down Chuck is really just a big softie."

"That's only when he is with you! Don't you get it, Blair? He's different around you. He _cares_ about you." Serena said in frustration.

Blair blinked at her for a moment, before flipping her hair and answering nonchalantly, "Yes, well, of course he does. We've been friend since we were kids."

Serena looked at Blair pointedly, "Not like that, Blair. You know what I mean. He loves you. How can you not see that?"

Blair still refused to look at her, choosing instead to poke at her fruit cup again, "You don't know what you're talking about, S. Chuck doesn't love anyone. He seduces girls, he sleeps with them, and he's done. That's it. He doesn't do relationships and emotions and _love_. You're just confused. Chuck and I are just friends, and he has always been extremely loyal to people he's close with. He's loyal to you too, you know."

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember those rumors about Penelope having herpes that came out after she tried to get you kick off the debutante volunteer staff? That was all Chuck."

"And you." Serena said with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"I may have helped spread the rumor, but it was all Chuck's idea." Blair stated simply.

Serena was stunned into silence for a moment before she shook her head at her best friend, "That's beside the point, Blair."

"And what exactly is your point, Serena?" Blair asked coolly.

Serena looked at her seriously, "My point is that Chuck is in love with you and you're in love with him and you just need to tell him already so we can get past this suffocating sexual tension!"

Blair looked at her for a second before she threw her head back and laughed. "Oh Serena, I'm not in love with Chuck."

"Yes you are, Blair! Don't lie to me."

Blair's eyes narrowed at her friend, "I'm not lying. I'm not in love with him. And besides, we would never work out. Exclusivity in a relationship is very important to me and I don't think Chuck even knows the meaning of the word."

"You know he would change for you, B." Serena said gently as she placed her hand on Blair's arm.

Blair simply waved her hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter anyway. I don't love him. Plus, I already have a boyfriend."

Serena raised her eyebrow at the brunette, "Dave? Come on Blair; don't use him as an excuse. You're going to break up with him within the week."

"How do you know?" Blair asked defensively.

"Because you two have been together for a couple months now, and you can't stop complaining about him."

"Well, he's just gotten so clingy lately!" Blair sighed in exasperation, "Today he's mad because I'm not going to the party after the basketball game tonight. I told him that Chuck's dad has a thing tonight and he got all jealous and asked why I didn't invite him to go with me. But I'm Chuck's date. I can't bring someone with me if I'm already someone else's guest. I tried to explain that to him, but he just doesn't understand."

"You're Chuck's _date_?" Serena asked with a smirk playing on her lips.

Blair looked at her innocently, "Did I say date? I meant guest. I'm a guest of Chuck's. He already has you as his date."

Serena shook her finger at her, "Oh, no, no, no. Don't try to push him onto me. I already have a boyfriend; a boyfriend that I actually _like_."

"Oh really?" Blair asked as she smirked at Serena, "As much as you _like_ a certain Nathaniel Archibald?"

"What? No. Nate and I are just friends." Serena said while doing her best to avoid Blair's gaze. "He's too old for me. And he travels around the country with my cousin hooking up with hot groupies. He's not interested in me. There are no romantic feelings between us. We're just friends." Serena finally met Blair's eyes with her own piercing gaze, trying to convince her friend that what she said was true.

Blair simply rolled her eyes, "Oh please, Serena. You're not fooling anyone. Don't try to lie to me."

"_You_ were just lying to _me_!" Serena said indignantly.

Right then the bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period. "That was different." Blair said calmly as she gathered up her things. "I'm already lying to myself, so what I told you was the complete truth from my perspective."

Serena sat there in shock for a moment as Blair stood up. Finally, a slow smile began to form on the blonde's face, "Did you just admit that you lov-"

"Hurry up, S, or we're going to be late to Spanish." Blair interrupted as she began to walk away.

Serena still had the smile on her face as she quickly grabbed her bag and ran to catch up with her friend.

...................

A/N: So, I'm kinda having trouble defining Chuck and Serena's relationship. I was scared that in the last chapter it seemed like he was too interested in her, and I just wanted to reassure you all that a romantic C/S relationship is most definitely NOT happening in this story, but I feel like this chapter made it almost seem like they don't like each other, which is not what I want either. Basically, they are friends, but they don't really do stuff without Blair with just the two of them. Blair will hang out with either of them individually but Chuck and Serena don't really do anything together separate from Blair. Blair is really the only reason that Chuck and Serena interact or are friends, so without her it is just kind of awkward for them, but they don't hate each other, I actually want them to have a sort of understanding with each other. The next chapter is going to have some Chuck/Serena interaction and I think it will explain things and define their relationship in the way I want.

Anyway, please review and let me know what you think so far!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi. I just wanted to mention something really quick. It doesn't really apply to this chapter, but I mentioned it in the second chapter and it is going to come up again so I just wanted to clarify while I was thinking about it. In this story I changed Blair's dream school from Yale to Columbia. I figured that Blair loves the city and can't wait to escape the suburbs and live there, so I think she would want to go to a school in the city, and NYU would still never be her dream school, even in this situation, so I made it Columbia. Lol. I hope that makes sense! Anyways, enjoy the chapter and please review!

……

It was Friday night and Blair was still stuck at her grandparent's apartment. They had already finished up dinner and Blair was trying to make her escape to Chuck's penthouse.

The maid had just brought out her coat and handed it to her when her mother and grandmother walked into the foyer.

"Where is it exactly you going again, dear?" Eleanor asked with interest. She always wanted to know what social events Blair was going to and what Upper Eastside families she was associating with.

"Oh, Bart Bass is opening a new club tonight and I'm just going to keep Chuck company." She said nonchalantly.

Blair's mother looked shocked when she heard her daughter's plans for the evening. She turned to her mother-in-law with an affronted expression, "Eleanor, I can't believe you just let her run off to clubs at all hours of the night! She's only 18; she's still in high school!"

Eleanor simply scoffed and waved her hand at the younger woman, "Oh please, Rose, you used to do the exact same things when you were Blair's age. Don't tell me you have already forgotten what it is like to be young in this city. Plus, there are so many important people and press reps at these events that Blair wouldn't dare get into any trouble."

"I wouldn't want to ruin the Waldorf name." Blair chimed in with a semi-sarcastic tone.

Eleanor shot her a reprimanding look, "Yes, well, if you keep hanging around that Bass boy you could still do just that."

Blair rolled her eyes as she responded, "Grandma, you have met Chuck plenty of times. You know that he is a perfectly fine and respectful boy. I know his father is sleazy, but Chuck is nothing like his father and you know that. He is not using me so his father can have access to you and Grandpa; he is my best friend."

"That doesn't change the fact that he has quite the awful reputation both here and back home in New Jersey." Rose pointed out with her arms crossed over her chest angrily.

"Mom, Chuck and I are _just friends_. He has had plenty of opportunities to try and 'take advantage' of me, but he never has. He hasn't because he _respects_ me." Blair said angrily as she quickly pulled her coat on, "Now, if you're done harassing me and my friends, I really have to get going."

Blair turned to leave, but at the door she turned back towards the two older women, "Grandma, I'll be back later." She said gently.

Eleanor simply nodded in understanding, but Rose raised her eyebrows hopefully, "Do you want your father and I to wait for you? We could give you a ride home."

Blair paused again and looked at her mother like she was crazy, "Are you going to wait here until around 2?" She asked in a biting tone, "Because that is the earliest that I will be back."

Rose's mouth dropped open aghast, "Your curfew is 1 o'clock young lady!"

Blair laughed cruelly, "While that may be acceptable among my low-class peers in New Jersey, it simply will not do here."

Without waiting for a response, Blair walked out the door and left. Once she was gone, Eleanor turned to her daughter-in-law, "She's right, you know. None of the young people have curfews in the city." She looked at Rose in confusion, "Have you really forgotten that too?"

Rose huffed as Eleanor walked back into the other room to rejoin the rest of her guests.

….

Serena had just finished showering and was lounging in a bathrobe on the bed in the guest room at Chuck's penthouse where she and Blair always stayed when they slept over. She was flipping through an old copy of Vogue Magazine that Blair had left there when she heard a knock on her door. Before she could respond, the door opened and Chuck walked in, already dressed in his suit for the evening.

"Blair isn't here yet?" He tried to ask casually, but he couldn't hide the nervousness that he was trying to suppress.

"No, but she texted me a little while ago and said she was getting ready to leave." Serena replied as she sat up.

"Good. She had better not make us late." He said as he examined his reflection in the mirror on the vanity.

Serena eyed him knowingly, "Chuck, stop trying to act indifferent. It's actually kind of cute that you're anxious."

"I'm not _anxious_." Chuck spat, as he smoothed down his already perfectly combed hair, "I just don't want her to be late; it will anger my father."

"Chuck," Serena said with a sigh, "Why don't you just tell Blair how you feel?"

Chuck had been straightening his bowtie, but he paused and glared at the blonde girl through the mirror, "Serena," He said slowly, "Do you remember that time I was extremely intoxicated and you were able to trick me into admitting my feelings for a certain mutual friend of ours?"

"Yes…" Serena answered with a slightly puzzled expression.

"And do you remember how I told you the next morning that I never wished to discuss that conversation ever again?"

Serena laughed, "Of course I do, but I don't care. You just need to tell Blair already so you both can get over your suppressed feelings for each other."

"Look, Charity," Chuck said as he turned around and leaned against the vanity, "I don't know how you got this fanciful idea of me and Blair being together into that pretty little head of yours, but you're wrong. Blair and I are just friends, and that is all we will ever be."

"Oh come on, Chuck, you know that's not true. You already admitted to me that you care about her and I know she cares about you too." Serena said as she stood from the bed and faced him with her hands on her hips.

Chuck straightened his jacket and looked away as he replied, "While I highly doubt that Blair feels the same way I do, it doesn't matter either way. Even if she returned my feelings, we could never be together. I'm Chuck Bass. I'm not good enough for a Waldorf. Her family would never allow her to be with me."

"Like Blair would ever let that stop her." Serena said with a roll of her eyes, "She always gets what she wants."

Chuck narrowed his eyes at her, "Obviously you don't know Blair as well as you think you do. What Blair wants more than anything is the approval of both her parents _and_ her grandparents, which is nearly impossible since they both demand perfection and their ideas of what is perfect are completely opposite of each other. Fortunately for Blair there is at least one thing they agree on, which is their hatred for me and my father." Chuck looked down and shook his head, "Blair would never do something that both her parents and her grandparents would disapprove of, and being with me falls into that category."

Chuck paused and took a deep breath. He ran his hand over his face before he continued, "But like I said before, that doesn't even matter. Blair is never going to see me as anything other than a sleazy, new-money playboy. I'll always be her friend; her scheming partner and the only one who understands both of the worlds she is a part of."

Serena's face softened as she reached forward to place her hand on his arm, "No, Chuck, you're wrong. Blair cares about you, and if you would just tell her-"

"I can't." He cut her off, pushing her hand away, "I can't risk it. I need her, Serena, in whatever form I can get her, even if it's only as a friend. She's the only person who has ever cared about me in any way; she's the only person who has ever _needed_ me, if only to help her take over suburbia." Chuck had a faraway look in his eyes as a small smile appeared on his lips, "I can still remember her face when I walked into her class when we were eight. No one has _ever_ been that excited and happy to see _me_." Chuck turned his steely gaze back to Serena, "I can't give that up. Even if it means that I can never fully have her, I can't risk telling her and having her reject me. I can't risk losing her. I would rather have her like this than not have her at all."

"But-" Serena began to protest, but she paused when there was a knock at the door.

Before she could turn around, Bart walked in. He saw the back of the blonde that his son was staring at intensely and he immediately cleared his throat. His tone was disapproving when he spoke, "Charles. I had hoped you would wait until after the party to entertain female company."

Serena spun around at his words and gave Bart a tight, fake smile. "Hi, Mr. Bass."

Bart's eyes widened slightly in surprised before he composed himself, "Oh, hello, uh, Serena, right?"  
"Yes, sir." She said with her smile still firmly in place.

Chuck just rolled his eyes, "Dad, she's been coming over here with Blair for over two years. You know her name."

Bart ignored his comment as his eyes searched the room and he asked, "Where is Blair?"

Chuck gulped as he tried to remain nonchalant, "She's not here yet, but she should be arriving shortly."

Bart looked at his son sternly, "What do you mean she's not here yet? We have to leave in about an hour. How could you not tell her the right time? I thought you would have realized by now that women need extra time to get ready."

"I did tell her, Father." Chuck growled with his hands clenched at his sides in anger.

Bart was about to rebut when the door swung open once again and Blair herself came bustling into the room. She walked over to Serena and Chuck and gave them both a quick kiss on the cheek, and then she turned to Bart and smiled brightly, "Hello, Mr. Bass. I'm sorry that I'm so late. I just got caught up at my grandparent's house. You know how they can get talking and completely lose track of time."

Bart smiled at her kindly, "Ah, yes, of course. It's no problem at all. How are Harold and Eleanor?"

"They're great. Thank you for asking." Blair said politely as she put her arm through Serena's, "Now, don't worry, we'll be ready in no time at all." She called over her shoulder as she dragged the blonde into the bathroom.

"Take your time, girls. There's no rush." Bart said with a laugh as he walked out of the room with Chuck staring after him in disbelief.


	5. Chapter 5

About two weeks later, Blair approached Chuck at his locker in school. She stood next to him with her hands on her hips until he finally looked up at her. He raised his eyebrows and dropped the book he was holding into his bag, "Morning, Waldorf. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence this morning?"

Blair flashed a quick smile, "Hi, Chuck." She said quickly before getting straight to her point, "The Valentine's Day dance is this Friday."

"Really? I hadn't noticed the thousands of brightly-colored, tasteless signs hanging around the halls." Chuck said sarcastically as he shut his locker and leaned against it, facing her, "So what?"

"You're taking me." She said casually as she examined her fingernails.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "What happened to Dave?"

"Oh, I broke up with him the day after your father's club opening." She said with a wave of her hand.

"I was wondering why I haven't seen him following you around anymore." He said with a slight smirk, "So, why exactly are we even going to this dance? You know it's going to be low-class and boring, with cheap red and white streamers and cutout paper hearts."

"Chuck," She scoffed, "You know that we haven't spent a weekend here in almost a month. We agreed when we took over, that if we are going to maintain our power we needed to at least attend the major school events and probably the occasional keg party. It's part of the sacrifice of being on top."

Chuck closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed, "Fine. You're right."

"Of course I'm right." Blair said as a big smile formed on her face. She reached forward and patted his arm, "And besides, it works out great for both of us because now we can go straight into the city afterwards."

"Isn't there going to be some sort of after party we will be expected to attend?" Chuck questioned.

"Probably," Blair said with a shrug, "But we have to be at the Roses' tomorrow by one, which means we are going to have to be up by eleven at the _latest_, so it just works out better if we go into the city tonight. We can watch a movie or something and then just go to sleep early."

"We're going to watch a movie instead of going to a party?" Chuck asked skeptically.

Blair rolled her eyes, "Look, I know the 'great Chuck Bass' never passes up the chance to drink booze and hook-up with sluts, but don't you think you can skip out on one lame suburban party to spend time with your best friend? I can't even remember the last time we hung out, just the two of us." She said as she pouted her lips.

Chuck scrutinized her for a moment, trying to figure out her motive before he accepted her sincerity. His face softened and nodded once, "Okay, fine. We will go to the dance and then we'll head out to the penthouse and we'll watch Tiffany's. Does that sound good to you?"

"Perfect." She said with a huge grin.

As they began to walk down the hall together, Serena came up next to them. "Hey guys!" She said brightly, "Have you heard about the dance on Friday? Paul is picking me up at 7. Do you want to go together? Are you two even going?"

Blair and Chuck shared a quick glance before Blair turned to her with a hesitant look, "Oh Serena, honey, we're going."

"Okay…" Serena said with a confused expression, "So, what's with the look?"

"The look? What look?" Blair feigned ignorance.

Serena gestured between the two brunettes, "That look you two just shared. What's going on?"

"Well…" Blair began slowly, "We _are_ going to the dance, but we're leaving right after to go into the city. On Saturday there is this formal, fancy dinner party for the twenty-fifth wedding anniversary of Cyrus and Amelia Rose. Cyrus is one of the partners at my grandfather's law firm and he oversees the lawyers that work at Bass Industries, so we both have to go." Blair frowned slightly at the blonde, "We would invite you to come, but it is a very exclusive event. And you wouldn't want to come anyway, it's going to be all older people and extremely boring."  
"Not to mention overly long." Chuck cut in, "They're serving a classic French dinner, which means twelve courses. We're going to be there for at least eight hours, if not more. The night is going to be never-ending. Be glad that you _aren't_ invited, Charity."

Blair nodded in agreement, "Yes, think of us stuck talking to stuffy lawyers and their uptight wives about retirement funds and politics while you're sleeping until the late afternoon and recovering from the after party."

Serena raised her eyebrows at the other girl, "Wait, it's going to be _all_ old people? What about that guy you've been talking about all week, B. Aaron was it? Aaron _Rose_? Is he going to be there? I would assume, given his last name, that he is related somehow…"

Blair blushed slightly, but simply brushed Serena off, "Yes, Aaron is Cyrus's son so he probably will be there, but even he isn't worth going to the undoubtedly insufferable party. It is going to be pure torture, but I really am sorry we can't invite you, S. Having you there might make it a little more bearable." She said honestly.

"Oh, it's no big deal. Paul and I are probably going to go over to the party after the dance and then we'll just head back to my house and hang out or something. And on Saturday I couldn't have gone to the dinner anyway. Dan has a show on the Lower Westside, so Jenny is driving home and we are going to go into the city and see him play and then spend the night with him and Nate."

"Oh, Nate's in town?" Blair asked with a smug expression on her face.

Serena just rolled her eyes, "Ok, I'm leaving now." She said as she sped up and walked away from Chuck and Blair.

"Wait for me, S!" Blair said as she hurried to catch up with her, leaving Chuck shaking his head and laughing at the sight of the short brunette scurrying after Serena in her five-inch heels.

……

A/N: I know this chapter is kind of short, but it's just setting up what happens next.

But I have a quick question for you all: I said in the beginning that this story was going to have some Nate/Serena in it, and that is still true, but I was just wondering exactly how much you all wanted? Like, there are some parts that are related to the C/B storyline that will definitely need to be in there, but there are other parts that aren't necessary, but will provide a better understanding of their own characters (i.e. there _could_, in theory, be a whole chapter or two just dedicated to N/S and what happens with them at a given point it the story). So yea, just wondering how much side-plot you all want. Let me know! And review the chapter. K thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

The day of the dance, Chuck and Blair were sitting together at lunch when Serena came running up to them and sat down in her usual spot next to Blair.

"Hey guys!" She said brightly, "So I have a question for you two. Would it be all right if I got a ride with you after the dance tonight?"

Chuck said "No," at the same time that Blair said a hesitant "Yes…", causing Chuck scowl at her. Blair gave him a helpless look before turning back to Serena, "S, you're welcome to come with us to the city, but you know you can't go to the Rose's party tomorrow, right?" Blair asked gently, "We aren't going to be doing anything fun after the dance tonight. We're just going to hang out at Chuck's and then go to bed early. You won't be missing out on anything."

"Oh, I know." Serena said with a wave of her hand, "I don't want to stay with you tonight; I just want a ride into the city. I just found out that Dan and Nate are getting into town earlier than expected, so I wanted to go and hang out with them after the dance."

"What about Paul?" Blair asked.

Serena hesitated and bit her lip for a second, "Well, he wants to go to the after party, but he said he understood if I wanted to see my cousin." Seeing both Blair and Chuck's raised eyebrows, questioning who exactly she wanted to see, Serena got a bit angry, "Look, it's not a big deal if you can't take me. I'll just wait until tomorrow and go see them with Jenny."

"Oh, S, don't be silly. We can take you. It's no problem at all." Blair said while Chuck still looked a bit unhappy about the blonde's interference on his time alone with Blair.

Serena gave them a grateful smile, "Thanks, guys."

….

That night at the dance, Chuck, Blair and Serena were all having a great time.

During one of the slow songs, Serena was twirling and laughing with her boyfriend, Paul, as they danced while nearby Chuck and Blair swayed slowly to the music.

"Aren't I a better date than your precious Dave ever was?" Chuck asked with a smirk as they continued to dance.

Blair eyed him for a moment but didn't answer his question. Instead she sighed and shook her head, "I don't think I'm going to be dating anymore of these suburban, Jersey guys anymore."

Chuck quirked a brow at her before she explained, "It's just not worth it. In August I will be leaving for college and I'm never going to be coming back to this pathetic little town for any extended period of time. So what's the point of starting a relationship with a guy I'm never going to see? Plus, everyone knows Blair Waldorf was never going to end up with some no-name boy from the suburbs."

Chuck decided to change the subject, "So what's the deal with Aaron Rose?" He asked, trying his best to sound indifferent, "You know he goes to York, right? That's practically a public school."

"Chuck, we go to public school." She pointed out.

"Are you saying that we are beneath _Aaron Rose_?"

"Of course not," She scoffed, "I'm just pointing out that you aren't really in the position to judge him based on where he goes to school."

"Well can I judge him for being a sketchy, uninvited loser who creeps at parties and looks like he hasn't showered in a few weeks?" He sneered.

"He is not a loser, and he does not creep!" Blair huffed indignantly, "He is introverted and artsy. He's cute in that shy, geeky kind of way and he's a nice guy."

Chuck tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at her, "Look, Blair, we both know that a shy, geeky guy is not what you need."

Blair lifted her chin definitely as she stared at him angrily, "Oh really? And what is it exactly that you think I need?"

He smirked, "You need someone who can keep up with you. Someone who will treat you like the queen that you are without letting you walk all over them. You need someone exciting; someone who will keep your interest for an extended period of time. You have always dated guys just like this Aaron guy; guys that you could control, and you've always gotten sick of them after only a few months. You need something different, Waldorf, someone who will keep you on your toes."

As Chuck finished, the song came to an end and Blair stepped away from him. She held her head high and looked down her nose at him, "Well, thanks for the advice Dr. Bass. I didn't know you were such a dating expert." She said coldly before she spun on her heel and walked back to their table.

…

Later that night, Chuck and Blair were sitting on the couch at the Bass Penthouse watching _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, Blair's favorite movie. As they watched, Chuck couldn't help but remember all the times they had done exactly this when they were younger, before Blair was queen; before they were expected to go out every night and make appearances at all the major social events.

By the time the movie was over, Blair had fallen asleep on Chuck's shoulder. She looked so peaceful and beautiful that Chuck didn't want to wake her. Instead, he picked her up easily and carried her up to the guest room, which had basically become her room over the years.

He laid her down on the bed and when he went to back away her hand would not release its grip on his shirt. He sat down on the bed next to her and gently pried her fingers off. Her arm fell over his thigh as he brushed her hair out of her face. She sighed contently in her sleep and before he could stop himself, Chuck leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

Blair's eyes fluttered slightly and she muttered his name softly in her sleep.

Chuck couldn't tear his eyes away from her and all he wanted to do was climb into the bed and hold her against him. But he knew that would only make things awkward for both of them in the morning, so he mustered up all his will-power and stood up. Ignoring her slight whimpers of protest, he walked out of the room, pausing only for a moment at the door to get one last look at the sleeping angel in his home.

….

The next day at the Rose's party, it was only a few hours in and Chuck and Blair were already extremely bored.

They had been designated to a table near the edge of the dining room with Aaron and a few of the younger lawyers. They had spent the majority of the party up to that point watching all of the adults, criticizing their fashion and pointing out underlying tensions or feuds; waiting for any sort of minor drama or disturbance to provide some sort of entertainment.

The whole night Aaron Rose had been lingering near them, but he had only contributed a word or two to their conversations. It was difficult for him to keep up with their banter, so he mostly just smiled at Blair and tried to avoid Chuck's dirty looks.

As the night progressed, Blair began to subtly text Serena, and the blonde asked her if they wanted to come to Dan's show that night. Chuck was reluctant when Blair showed him the text message because he had never been a big fan of Serena's low-class, artsy cousins, but Blair pointed out that the concert couldn't possibly be worse than the party they were currently at. So when some of the guests began to leave, they decided to make their exit as well.

As they gathered their coats, Aaron came up to Blair and asked, "Leaving so soon?"

Blair looked at him apologetically, "Yes, a friend of ours is performing on the Lower Westside tonight, so we really have to be going." Seeing Aaron's obvious disappointment, Blair quickly continued, "But you should come with us! That is, if you want to."

Aaron looked hesitant, but Blair batted her eyelashes at him flirtatiously and after a moment he slowly agreed. Blair squealed with excitement while Chuck watched in disgust from behind her. He was not enjoying the other boy's constant intrusions on their evening.

The three of them quickly left the party before someone could stop them and hopped into Chuck's limo to head across town.

……

At the concert, the trio found Serena as soon as they arrived and watched the show with her and Jenny from the front row. Aaron lingered slightly behind as Blair and Chuck stood with Serena. While the other boy was engrossed in the music, Chuck turned to Blair and rolled his eyes as he said, "I can't believe you actually invited him."

Blair glared right back at him, "I think he is nice." She said defiantly, "And he comes from a good family."

That comment only caused more disgust for Chuck, since he knew that no matter how suitable he was for Blair, his last name would never be good enough for her.

Blair stepped around Chuck and pulled Aaron into their group. She introduced him to Serena and then she tucked herself in close to his body and insisted that he went with her to get some water.

Chuck watched as they walked off with a bitter expression on his face. Serena saw his useless attempts to appear indifferent and put her hand on his arm so he would look at her. She smiled at him sadly, "I'm sorry Chuck. I'm sure Aaron is just a passing phase."

He sneered at her, "Aaron and Blair are two of the least compatible people I have ever met. Obviously her infatuation with him won't last any longer than my father's relationship with his latest blonde bimbo."

Serena laughed and tried to smile reassuringly as Blair and Aaron returned to the group and all four of them went back to watching the performance.

…..

After the concert, the four teenagers were standing outside the club while Chuck's limo was waiting by the curb. Blair was giggling about something with Aaron and Chuck was trying to get everyone into the limo so they could get away from the seedy commoners that were lingering around and eyeing his sleek black vehicle enviously.

"Chuck, I'm just going to stay here. Jenny and I are going to stay with Nate and Dan at their hotel. Okay?" Serena said.

"Sure, whatever you want, Charity. Come on, Blair, let's go." Chuck called, hoping to finally get her away from Aaron.

Blair looked up at him, still smiling from whatever Aaron had just said, and replied, "Go on ahead, Chuck. Aaron and I are going to take a cab back to my grandparent's place."

Chuck frowned in confusion and his eyes darkened subtly with hurt, "Why? I can just drop you off, and then you won't be exposed to all the germs and diseases that can come with public transportation."

"Chuck, it's out of your way to drop us off. Look, it's no big deal, you can just go."

Chuck opened his mouth to protest, but she gave him a pointed look and indicated that the issue was settled and he should drop it and leave.

"Fine." Chuck hissed bitterly, "I'll see you tomorrow, that is, if you're not planning on taking a cab back to New Jersey."

The two brunettes glared at each other for a moment before Chuck got into his limo and pulled the door shut forcefully, unsuccessfully masking his anger.

Serena frowned as she watched him drive off as Blair came up to her and gave her a hug while Aaron hailed a cab.

"Look, B..." Serena began hesitantly, trying to stand up for Chuck, but Blair cut her off with a quick kiss on the cheek, "S, I have to go, but I'll see you on Monday. Have fun!" She said with a knowing smirk as she rushed over to the waiting cab and got in next to Aaron.

Serena simply sighed and shook her head at Blair's denial of Chuck's obvious feelings towards her. She wanted to help them get together, but she had no idea what to do, they were both just too stubborn.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I know this chapter is super super super short, but I haven't published anything in quite awhile. This chapter and the next one were supposed to be together, but I wanted to publish what I had done and hopefully I'll have the next chapter done in the next few days. I haven't really had motivation to get these chapters done; but they are necessary to set up what is going to happen. I just want to skip ahead to what happens after. Hahaha. Anyways, I hope this little chapter is okay and can hold you over until I get more finished!

Also, I would like to just establish that C&B have had a tense relationship with Nate for as long as they have been friends with Serena. He thinks they are immature and Blair just thinks he is a jerk who is no good for Serena. Under normal circumstances Chuck would be indifferent, but he doesn't like the way Nate talks down to both him and Blair and he is also worried about Serena. So yea, the distrust/bad feelings are more deeply rooted than just this chapter.

Enjoy!

……….

After Valentine's Day, Dan and Nate moved back into the Humphrey's house for a little while. Dan was recording a new album in the city and he was playing shows in the surrounding area, so they needed to stay in one place for a few months.

Serena was thrilled that they were back for an extended period of time and spent a lot of her spare time hanging out with them. But Blair and Chuck were worried that all the time spent with Nate would only lead to a broken heart for their friend, and in the end they were right.

One night in April, Nate arrived back at the Humphrey's house with a girl. She was a typical college girl, with a low cut shirt, bleach blonde hair, and too much make-up. Serena was anything but friendly to the girl, and after yet another backhanded comment about the girl's hooker-like resemblance, Nate's potential conquest decided to make an early exit. Nate tried to stop her, but she told him she didn't feel very welcomed so it was probably best if she left.

After the girl was gone, Nate stormed into the kitchen where Serena was sitting casually, doing some homework. "Thanks a lot, Serena." He spat angrily.

"Excuse me?" she asked in genuine confusion.

"Don't act all innocent. You have no right to talk down to the girls I bring over and drive them away."

Serena looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head, "Nate, I didn't mean to-"

"Like hell you didn't!" Nate interrupted bitterly, "I know you're like in love with me or whatever, but that doesn't give you the right to act like a complete bitch to the girls that I hang out with."

"Nate, I-"

"You know, I thought if I ignored it you would get over your little crush, and we could still chill together with Dan, but I was wrong. You're just another stupid, immature teenager that I don't need to waste my time with."

"Look, Nate I'm sorry." Serena pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Whatever," Nate said as he ran his hand through his hair, "It was a mistake to ever be friends with you in the first place. Just stay out of my business and don't talk to me again."

The tears began to silently trail down Serena's face as she watched Nate walk out of the room and up the stairs. A sob escaped as she pressed one hand to her mouth and reached with her other one to grab her keys so she could get out of the house.

…

A few minutes later, Serena was knocking on the door at Chuck's house, where she knew Blair was helping him with his history homework. Misty opened the door with a stack of work papers in her hands. She barely glanced up from her reading before pointing Serena in the direction of Chuck's bedroom. Misty had never been very involved or interested in her son's social life, but she had seen Blair and Serena around enough to just let them in without asking any questions about the time of day or their appearance, so she didn't comment on Serena's disarray or her red eyes and smudged make-up.

Serena knocked on Chuck's door before pushing it open. She found her two friends sitting on the bed with books and notes spread around them. Blair was sitting on the edge of the bed; reading over some notes while Chuck was lying back on the pillows with a book opened, face down on his chest. They both looked up when the door opened and Blair stood up, "S, what are you doing here?" She looked at her friend's distraught face and her brow quickly furrowed, "Serena? Serena, what's wrong?" Blair pulled Serena to her and sat next to her on the bed.

Serena rested her head on Blair's shoulder as Blair slowly stroked her hair, "N-Nate, he-, he hates me." Serena gasped between sobs, "He-, he doesn't want any-, anything to do with me ev-ever again."

"Oh, Sweetie, I'm so sorry." Blair said as she wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde and held her as she broke down. Over her head, Blair and Chuck locked eyes. Chuck nodded decisively and without exchanging a single word, they both immediately understood that Nate would need to be destroyed and soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Chuck and Blair had formulated a plan to get revenge on Nate the very night that Serena had come to them, and the next day they had put it into action. Chuck called his father and told him that they needed to have an emergency meeting. When Bart heard that it involved Blair, he told them to come down to his office immediately.

When they arrived, Chuck and Blair quietly entered the office and sat down. Blair was wide-eyed and looked frightened, while Chuck just remained extremely serious.

"Blair, what's been troubling you?" Bart asked, effectively ignoring his son.

Blair looked down at her hands before she responded, "Mr. Bass, I-, I've been having some trouble at some of your buildings."

"Oh?" Bart raised his eyebrows in concern.

Blair looked up at him with the hint of tears in her eyes, "There's this guy who has been following me, I think. He keeps showing up when I come over to hang out with Chuck or when we go to some of your clubs. I normally wouldn't say anything, but it-it's starting to scare me a little bit, and Chuck has been worried." She said, gesturing to the boy beside her, "He-, he said you could help."

"He was right to say that." Bart said authoritatively as he began to shuffle some of the papers on his desk, "I can file a report with the authorities. I'll give them a call right now if you want."

"No!" Blair interjected quickly as Chuck's eyes widened slightly with panic. This was not part of their plan, "No, that's okay, Mr. Bass. He hasn't really done anything yet to get the police involved. I just-, I was just hoping that maybe you could keep him from following me on your property. Is there any way you could do that?"

"For you Blair, of course I can. I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable on any of my properties. I send the word out immediately, I just need a name."

"It's N-Nate. Nate Archibald." Blair said with just the right amount of fear in her voice as Chuck reached over and took her hand supportively.

"Nate Archibald." Bart muttered as he wrote the name down, "Alright. By the end of the day he won't be able to step foot in half of the establishments in this city."

"Thank you, Mr. Bass." Blair said with a grateful smile while Chuck nodded at his father in thanks.

…..

While Chuck and Blair were plotting against him, Nate continued to ignore Serena in the weeks following his blow-up. Whenever they would run into each other, Nate would simply glare at her before stepping around her and quickly exiting whatever room she was in.

It had only taken a few days for Nate to feel the effects of Chuck and Blair actions. He was no longer allowed in the building where Dan was recording his album and he couldn't go with him to meetings with his record label since he wasn't allowed in there either. Also, there were a few nights when he was unable to get into the clubs where Dan was performing or into the bars where they were going to in order to just hang out and relax.

On one particular night, Nate and Dan were trying to go out and get a drink after a long day working on the album. They had already gone to three different clubs and Nate had been turned away at all of them. He could not figure out why he kept getting rejected from so many different places and it was starting to frustrate him. In his anger, he yelled at the bouncer, asking him what was up with all the buildings in New York.

The bouncer merely laughed in his face, "Look man, don't get pissed at us. You ain't getting in anywhere. You've been blacklisted."

"What?"

"I don't know what you did to piss off the Bass kid, but he's made sure you're not allowed on any of his daddy's properties."

Nate's brow furrowed in confusion, "Chuck?"  
"Yeah, Chuck Bass. If you want to survive in New York, you're gonna need to fix whatever it is you did; Bart Bass owns half of this city."

Nate and Dan left that club, and Nate was fuming; he couldn't believe all his troubles were because of Serena's immature friends. Luckily, at the fourth club they tried, Dan and Nate were finally able to get in (since it was not owned by Bart Bass).

Unfortunately for them, Chuck and Blair had just left a more expensive, Bass-owned establishment a few blocks away and had decided to take a short stroll to enjoy the warm weather and walk off some of the alcohol they had consumed. When they saw Nate and Dan entering the lower-class club, they decided it was the perfect opportunity to begin part two of their plan.

After Dan and Nate had been in the club for a little while, Chuck and Blair made their entrance. Nate was at the bar, flirting with a girl over drinks. He was so focused on the girl that he didn't notice as Chuck and Blair approached.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Nate Archibald." Blair said sarcastically.

Nate looked up and scowled, "Oh shit." He muttered under his breath as the girl he was with looked back and forth between him and the couple standing near them.

"I can't believe you're here, just drinking and hitting on girls like nothing ever happened." Blair said indignantly.

Nate looked at her in confusion, "What the hell are you talking about, Waldorf?"

Blair threw her head back laughed bitterly, "Of course, just do what you always do and play dumb; act like you have no idea what's going on. Pretend like we have absolutely no history."

"What? Are you high right now?" Nate asked, starting to get angry. The girl next to him was just watching; completely confused.

"No, Nathaniel, I am not _high_. I am talking about Serena, _your daughter_. You know, the one we had together that you haven't seen since she was born. Remember her?"

Nate's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what Blair was talking about, while the girl next to him gasped in shock.

Blair turned to the girl with a fake smile on her face, "Did he tell you about our daughter? Our daughter that he was _so_ excited about until she was born and we found out her face was deformed. Did he tell you about that? About how he ran out as soon as we got the news, never to be heard from again?"

The girl's mouth was hanging open in shock, as she looked at Nate with disgust. Blair nodded, "I guess he just couldn't stand the thought of having an ugly daughter." She turned to Nate as the tears began to well up in her eyes, "Just so you know your daughter is doing just fine without you. You're going to regret not being there for her."

Blair lifted her chin defiantly even as she allowed a few tears to escape for effect. Without another word she turned and walked away from the couple. Chuck still stood there with his hands in his pockets, smirking darkly at Nate, "You didn't really think we were going to let you get away with what you did unscathed did you? We've only just begun. We're going to make sure you pay."

Chuck tilted his head in a slight nod before turning and following Blair out of the club.

The girl Nate had been talking with looked at him again in disgust before standing up and walking away. Nate wasn't sure what had just happened, but he had finally figured out what exactly was going on and he knew what he needed to do to fix it.

…..

After they confronted Nate, Blair and Chuck returned to Chuck's penthouse. They planned on spending the rest of their night out celebrating their success with Nate, but things quickly changed when Blair got a message from her parents.

Her father had texted her to let her know that he was not going to be able to attend her graduation in June. It was just the latest event that her father would be skipping for one reason or another and Blair was extremely upset.

"He just doesn't seem to care about me at all." Blair said after she read the message to Chuck. She was trying to stay strong, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "It's like I'm not even a priority in his life. And my mom is the same way. I bet if she had an excuse she would skip graduation too."

Chuck sat her down on his bed and held her while she cried. He stroke her hair as he replied, "That's not true, Blair. Your parents care about you, even if they aren't always so good at showing it."

"Yeah, right." Blair snorted through her tears.

"Okay even if they don't care, at least they pretend to. My parents don't even try. And you'll have your grandparents at graduation; you know they love you. I'll have no one."

Blair pulled away from him slightly and wiped away some of her tears. Chuck was smirking, trying to appear indifferent, but Blair could see that he was really bothered by his parents' lack of interest. She stroked his cheek as she spoke softly, "You'll have me. I'll cheer for you."

Chuck stared at her for a moment. Their faces were so close and the tension in the room was palpable. Finally, he tore his gaze away before things became more awkward, and looked down before chuckling quietly, "Thanks, Waldorf." He said before looking at her again, "You're more like family to me then they have ever been anyway."

Blair bit her lip and smiled at him. She then buried her face in the crook of his neck and sighed against his skin, sending a shiver down his spine. "Can I just stay here with you tonight?"

"Sure, Waldorf," Chuck whispered against her hair as he held her tighter, "Whatever you want."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I said I would get this done this weekend and I kept my word, barely. But anyways, it's not the best chapter, but things are starting to move now! Lol.

Also, just another note, I realized recently that I probably should have made Nate's character Carter instead of Nate (it would just work better for his temperament and actions and everything). Oh well, what's done is done and it would be too confusing to go back and change Nate to Carter. But if you want, you can pretend Nate is Carter, and it might seem more in character (That's basically what I do while I'm writing it. Hahaha).

Enjoy!

………………………………

The next morning, Blair woke up to the familiar ring of her phone. Her head had been resting on Chuck's chest and his arm was around her waist. As comfortable as she was, she knew she needed to find her phone. Reluctantly she got up, which caused Chuck to stir, and began digging in her purse for her phone.

She found it just as the ringing stopped and saw that she had 6 missed calls from her boyfriend. Realizing she had told Aaron she would call him after she got back from her night out with Chuck, she instantly hit the green button on her phone and called him back.

Aaron picked up after the first ring "Blair." He sighed in relief.

"Hi, I'm sorry I didn't call you last night." She explained, "I got some awful news from my parents and I was really upset, so I just stayed over at Chuck's. I didn't want to bother you."

"What are you talking about? You're my girlfriend. If you're upset you should come to me."

"Really?" Blair asked skeptically, "You want to hear about my family issues?"

"Of course I do." Aaron said in his typical, emotionless drawl.

Blair smiled slightly, "Okay, I'll come right over. I'll see you soon."

She hung up the phone and looked over at Chuck, who was staring at her intensely from the edge of his bed.

"I'm going out to meet Aaron." She told him as she picked up her purse.

Chuck nodded once, with a dark look in his eyes, "I figured as much."

Blair met his gaze and walked over to place a gentle kiss on his cheek, "Thanks for last night."

His lips turned upwards slightly in a half-hearted smile, "Anytime, Waldorf."

He watched her as she left his suite, wishing that for once he could be enough and she would want to stay.

………………..

Back in New Jersey, Serena was sitting in her room at the Humphrey's house on her computer when her door was thrown open. She jumped at the noise and looked up to see Nate standing their angrily.

"You need to call off your bratty, little friends." He sneered.

Serena straightened up where she sat and looked at him in confusion, "What are you talking about, Nate?"

"I'm talking about your immature rich-kid friends!" He spat angrily. "They've gotten me banned from basically every building in the city, and don't even get me started on the little rumor they've started about me fathering the Waldorf girl's kid."

Serena's mouth dropped open, but before she could respond Nate continued, "Look, I know your upset that I don't love you, or whatever, but you need to stop this. Otherwise, if I can't get into any clubs to help Dan with his shows or go with him to any meetings, he's going to have to fire me. This isn't high school, Serena. This is real life; this is my future that they're messing with!"

Serena groaned and dropped her head into her hands, "Oh my God. Nate, I'm so sorry! I didn't know they were doing this." She looked up at him with a sincere look on her face, "I'll talk to them and tell them to fix everything. If I had known, I would have told them not to. I'm really sorry."

Nate was still upset, but seeing her reaction, he knew she wasn't lying and the hardness in his eyes faded slightly, "Thanks." He said shortly before he turned and left her room as abruptly as he had entered.

……………….

On Monday at school, Chuck and Blair were sitting next to each other in calculus, the first class of the day that they had together. Chuck was slouched low in his chair with an sullen look on his face while Blair was texting on her phone, either completely oblivious to his anger or indifferent to it.

Serena rushed into the classroom a few minutes before the bell rang and stalked towards her two friends.

"Hey, S!" Blair said brightly, but she frowned when she saw Serena's cross expression, "What's wrong?"

"I talked to Nate." She said, causing Blair's eyes to widen and Chuck to sit up straighter in his seat, "You guys need to stop messing with him."  
"And why would we do that?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah," Blair chimed in, "He deserves anything he gets after how he treated you."

Serena sighed dramatically as she sat down next to them, "Look, I appreciate the fact that you are standing up for me, but Nate is basically a part of the Humphrey family and I'm always going to be around him. If this little plot of yours ends up ruining his career-"

"Which it should," Chuck interjected before getting a glare from Serena,

"-then Nate is going to hate me even more and it will only make things more awkward."

Blair placed her hand over Serena's, "But S,-"

"No. No 'buts'." Serena said with an angry shake of her head, "You two need to back off. Please, if you won't do it for him, do it for me."

Chuck and Blair exchanged a look and Chuck gave the slightest tilt of his head to show he agreed before Blair turned back to Serena, "Fine, if that's what you really want…"

"It is."

"Then I'll call my father's assistant today and your precious Archibald should be able to get into any building he wants." Chuck told her as the bell rang to signal the beginning of the class.

Serena looked between her two friends and nodded, "Thank you." She said.

Blair smiled at her reassuringly and Chuck just leaned back in his seat as the teacher began the class.

……………….

Later that night, Serena was sitting at the counter in the kitchen at the Humphrey's doing some homework when Nate walked in. He looked surprised to see her there, but he acknowledged her with a nod and a mumbled "Hey."

Serena looked up and smiled tentatively, "Hey. So, uh, I talked to Chuck and Blair. They said they would back off. Chuck said he would talk to his dad and you should be able to get in wherever you want now."

Nate looked surprised for a moment before he sighed in relief, "Thanks, Serena."

Serena shut her book and turned to face him, "Look, Nate, I really am sorry about what they did to you."

"It's okay; it wasn't your fault. You didn't know."

"I'm still sorry it happened. I really hope everything works out for you."

He gave her a small smile in response, "Thanks" he said as she stood up. She nodded at him and smiled before she turned and walked out of the room.

………………….

A few nights later, Chuck was at home by himself while his mom was out working. There was a knock at the door and when he opened it he found Blair standing there with tears running down her face.

He stepped back and let her in, but he was still pretty angry about how she had been so quick to seek comfort from someone else the last time she had come to him, so he didn't exactly invite her into his arms. Instead he closed the door and looked at her with his arms crossed over his chest, "What do you want, Waldorf?"

Blair looked up at him with wide, wet eyes, "Chuck, my parents, they-, they told my 12 year old sister that my dad would come home from his business trip just so he could go to her little grade school graduation. I'm graduating from _high school_ and he can't come home for that! It's like they don't even _try_ to pretend that they care about me."

Blair was crying more intensely but Chuck still stood across from her stoically. Blair's brow furrowed in confusion at his lack of reaction and she took a step towards him, "Chuck, my parents have decided that my sister's little sixth grade graduation assembly is more important than going to see me graduate from high school at the top of my class," She sobbed, "Can you please do something, or just _say_ something? Please?"

Chuck looked at her with dark, cold eyes, "What? Do you want me to soothe you and tell you about my pathetic excuse for a family again so you can feel better about yours? Why don't you just go cry to your boyfriend." He brushed past her and picked up a magazine that was sitting on the coffee table.

She wiped at the tears on her cheeks and turned to face him, "No, Chuck, it's not like that. You don't understand."

Chuck glared at her, "Understand? I think I understand perfectly, Blair. I'm just the stand-in you turn to for comfort until your latest boyfriend is available."

"Chuck that's not-," Blair tried to explain, but he cut her off with a raised hand.

"Look, I don't really feel up to stroking your ego today, so why don't you just go run into Aaron's skinny, little emo arms and tell him all your daddy issues."

Blair couldn't do anything but stare at him, but he just looked back down at the magazine in his hand and ignored her presence in the room. She couldn't believe he could be so cold towards her. He was supposed to be her best friend. After a moment of standing there, Blair wiped at her tears again before straightening her back and leaving the house.

Only when she was gone did Chuck look up and allow his mask of indifference to fall. He didn't want to hurt her, but she had already hurt him when she abandoned him for Aaron and he couldn't let her keep using him the way she had.


	10. Chapter 10

After she left Chuck's house, Blair immediately went over to Serena's. When the blonde saw her friend's disheveled appearance, she took her in her arms and asked what was wrong. Blair explained the whole situation with her parents and graduation. She also told Serena about what had happened when she went to see Chuck and his cold demeanor.

"I just don't understand, S" Blair sighed once she had explained everything to Serena, "He was just so _mean_. It was like he was angry that I went to Aaron last time."

"Of course he was. Don't you get it, Blair? You running out on him and into the arms of Aaron was a slap in the face to Chuck. It was just another example of how he will never be good enough for you and how your latest love interest will always be your top priority."

"What are you talking about? I went to him first! And he has ditched me for other girls plenty of times."

"No." Serena argued, "He's never completely abandoned you for some random girl. He's only left if you were with me or one of your boyfriends. You have always come first for him."

Blair sighed and shook her head, "But Aaron is my boyfriend, why wouldn't I go to him for comfort? Why was Chuck acting so jealous?"

"Because he _is_ jealous!" Serena said in exasperation, "He hates Aaron and he can't understand what you see in him."

"But S, Chuck has hated _all _of my boyfriends."

"And why do you think that is, Blair?"

"Because he is overprotective?" Blair asked, feigning ignorance.

Serena narrowed her eyes, "Really? That's what you think?" She rolled her eyes, "Come on, Blair, stop living in denial. He hates them because he wants to be them; because it is a constant reminder that no matter how close the two of you are, he will never be more than your friend."

Blair opened her mouth to protest, but she paused, closed her mouth and looked at the floor, deep in thought. After a moment she looked back up at the blonde, "S, I think Chuck Bass loves me." She said as if it was a completely new concept.

Serena threw her hands in the air, "Finally, you realize what I have been telling you for years now!"

Blair smiled softly, "I think it's time for me to break-up with Aaron."

Serena pulled her close for a hug as she giggled, "I think you're right."

….

Blair decided to end things with Aaron the next night when he came to visit her. One of the football players was throwing a party and Aaron had planned on coming out from the city to go with Blair, so she chose that opportunity to break up with him since it was the first time she would see him since making her decision.

Once they had arrived at the party, Blair found herself constantly searching the crowd for any sign of Chuck while her boyfriend trailed behind her like a lost puppy. She had barely seen Chuck since he told her to leave his house, and because he was never one to miss a party she figured he would be there.

After almost an hour, Blair finally spotted him. She and Aaron were mingling with a few social-climbing juniors trying to get on her good side when Blair saw Chuck across the room. He was leaning against the wall with a bottle of scotch in his hand (he always brought his own alcohol to suburban house parties; they never had anything high-end enough for him). A group of scantily-clad girls surrounded him obviously making attempts to be his entertainment for the evening, although his expression looked less than amused.

Their eyes locked for the briefest of seconds before one of the girls Blair was talking with called for her attention. After politely responding, Blair looked up again, but Chuck was gone. While a wave of disappointment and jealousy washed over her, she tried her best to shake it off. Chuck was always snaking his way through parties, trying to get a good scope of all the guests before he chose his company for the evening, and he wasn't her boyfriend (yet) or anything so she had no reason to be jealous of his attention to other girls.

When she was finally able to get herself and Aaron away from the junior girls, Blair decided it was as good a time as any to break up with Aaron. She asked him if they could talk and when he agreed she led him upstairs to find a quieter place to have their conversation.

The first door she tried was locked, but the second door opened and what she saw behind it stopped her in her tracks. In the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, was Chuck with his pants around his ankles and a dark-haired girl kneeling between his legs.

Chuck looked up at the sound of the door opening and his eyes instantly met the stunned gaze of Blair, who was frozen in the door way with her mouth open.

"Oh my God," She said softly before she gathered her wits and quickly grabbed Aaron's hand. Without a backward glance she stormed down the stairs and out the door, releasing Aaron's hand once they were outside.

Serena had seen Blair and Aaron rushing down the stairs and out of the party. Aaron had looked extremely confused while Blair had seemed to be on the edge of breaking down into tears. Serena tried to go after them, but before she could even make it half way across the room, she saw Chuck making his way downstairs and she knew instantly that he was undoubtedly the cause of Blair and Aaron's quick exit.

Chuck had just finished tucking in the back of his shirt when Serena saw him, but he wasn't paying any attention to her. He wasn't even paying attention to the girl that was trailing down the stairs behind him, trying to regain his attention after his hasty exit from the room they had just occupied together. But Chuck was only focused on one thing: his search for the beautiful girl who had just walked in on him getting pleasured by the random slut behind him; the one girl he had ever really cared about.

When he scanned the room and didn't see Blair, Chuck eyes hardened and he figured that his initial conclusion was correct, no matter how much he had hoped it wasn't. Deciding that he was no longer in the mood for socializing but not yet ready to go back to his empty house, Chuck grabbed his bottle of scotch and his cigarettes and walked out onto the back porch with only his thoughts for company.

As Chuck made his escape from the party, Serena headed out to the front yard in order to catch up with Blair. When she got outside, she stayed by the door when she saw Blair and Aaron standing a few feet away from each other talking.

Blair looked angry as she yelled, "What do I have to say to make you understand, Aaron? I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to be with you. We're done. That's it, now go away!"

Aaron still looked confused as he stepped forward and reached for her, "Blair, please, at least just let me drive you home."

But she slapped his hand away, "No, I'll just walk. It's only a few blocks." Blair sighed and her face softened slightly, "Look, Aaron, I'm really sorry. I just-, things between us never would have worked, you know?"

Aaron rubbed his hand through his hair, "Does this have anything to do with what we saw upstairs?"

Blair visibly recoiled at his words, "What? No." She shook her head vehemently, "No, this is about you and me. I was going to break up with you before we even went up there. This has nothing to do with that."

"Blair-"

"I'm sorry Aaron, but you should have realized that you were never good enough for me. Seriously, a Rose and a Waldorf? What was I thinking?" Blair scoffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Good-bye, Aaron." She said as she turned on her heel and walked away.

Serena ran down the lawn and caught up to her friend. She wrapped her arm around Blair's waist and pulled her close as the brunette rested her head on her shoulder and let a single tear slide down her cheek.

……………………….

A/N: This chapter was super hard to write, just because it wasn't working out how I wanted it to in my head, and while I don't think it turned out great, I'm glad to have it done. I'm sorry it took so long, but hopefully the next chapter will be done faster! It's one that I've been looking forward to for a while. I've been working and reworking it for a while now and I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to end up doing it but it's going to be good; hopefully. Lol. Please review and let me know what you thought!


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, Chuck was lying on his bed at his father's penthouse. After the party the night before he had gone back home and made sure his limo would be ready bright and early so he could escape to the city. He was paging through an old book that he had read a hundred times when his door was pushed open. He looked up and saw a very angry Blair Waldorf slam the door shut and stand there with her hands on her hips.

"Can I help you?" He drawled as he set his book on the nightstand and sat up.

"Did you have fun last night?" She asked coldly.

His brow furrowed in confusion, "What?"

"With your little whore; did you have a good time?"

He looked her up and down slowly, "I could ask you the same question."

"What are you talking about?"

"Was sleeping with Aaron everything you ever dreamed it would be?" He asked as he picked at an imaginary piece of lint on the comforter of his bed.

"Excuse me?" She scoffed.

"Oh, don't play dumb, Waldorf, it's unflattering." He said as he looked up and glared at her. An evil smirk formed on his face as he continued, "Although, I have to say I'm surprised that you chose him to lose your virginity with. I mean, compared to all the guys you've dated, he's on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of class." Blair just stared at him with her mouth hanging open as he continued, "Was it good? Was he gentle? Did he satisfy your needs? He must not have much experience-"

"I didn't sleep with Aaron!" She yelled as she stomped her foot in frustration.

"Why else would a couple go hand-in-hand upstairs at a party to a presumably empty bedroom if not to fuck?" Chuck asked as his piercing gaze remained on her face.

"We were going to _talk_, so I could break up with him!"

"What?" He asked as he face fell slightly in surprise.

Blair threw her hands up in frustration, "I was stupid enough to let Serena convince me that you could possibly feel the same way about me that I do about you, but after last night I see that I was obviously mistaken." Blair looked down and shook her head bitterly, "I'm such an idiot."

"Blair, you're not-"

"I not?" She interrupted, "Because last night I broke up with my boyfriend for a guy who goes from girl to girl faster than I can snap my fingers. Why should I think I would be any different? Last night served as the perfect example of why I never should have listened to anything Serena said." She sighed sadly and shrugged her shoulders in defeat, "So anyway, at least you had a good time at the party."

"I didn't." Chuck said softly as his eyes met hers once again, "I didn't do anything with that girl after you came in. You ruined it."

Blair's face fell for a split second before her cold mask was back in place, "Well I'm sorry I put a damper on the mood." She snapped as she glared at him.

"No, that's not it." Chuck said, shaking his head slightly, "You ruined the illusion. Once I saw you standing in the doorway, I couldn't pretend she was you anymore."

"What?"

"Every girl, all of them, I've always imagined they were you. I would pick them out because I could find some quality in them that reminded me of you." Chuck said as he slowly stood from the bed and faced her.

Blair scowled, "Are you comparing me to your harem of whores?"

"No. I'm comparing _them_ to _you_ not the other way around. I thought I could never have you, so I settled for the next best thing."

"But I was right here." Blair said in a pleading tone as her eyes searched his, "You could have had me. You always could have-," She sighed and shook her head, "I didn't think you wanted me."

"Of course I wanted you, I've always wanted you." He growled as he strode over to her and pressed his lips against hers. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening he pushed her against the wall and she eagerly responded to his kiss.

His hands were braced on the wall behind her and her leg was hiked up over his hip. His lips traced a path down her jaw and to her neck as her fingers wove through his hair. She reached down to his belt buckle, but before she could undo it his hand grabbed hers and stopped her.

He tore his lips away from the column of her neck and rested his forehead against hers, "Blair," he said between heavy breaths, "I don't-, we don't have to-,"

Blair met his gaze and smiled softly, "I know. I _want_ to."

Chuck's eyes searched hers for a moment, "You sure?" He asked tentatively.

She bit her lip shyly and nodded slightly before she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers once again.

Chuck lifted her up from against the wall and carried her over to the bed. In a matter of minutes they were both stripped down to their underwear and caught once again in a heated kiss. Chuck moved his lips once more to her neck as his hand skimmed across her smooth thigh to the edge of her panties.

"Chuck," Blair gasped with a tone of panic when she felt his fingers begin to tug at the thin scrap of fabric and she pulled on his hair so he was once again looking at her with a slight hint of confusion in his eyes. Listening to his heavy breathing, and feeling his obvious arousal on her leg, Blair became very shy. "I'm scared." She whispered as she looked down at his chest and ran her hand across his shoulder absent-mindedly.

"Of me?" Chuck asked.

Blair heard the note of shame and sadness in his voice and her eyes instantly shot back up to his face, "No!" She assured him quickly before once again becoming self-conscience and looking away, "I just-, I've never done this before. And you-, you're so experienced. I don't want to disappoint you."

"Blair," Chuck breathed as he directed her face back to his with a gentle hand on her cheek, "I've dreamed of this moment since I was twelve years old. I've wanted you, and only you, for…as long as I can remember. Nothing could be more disappointing than _not_ being with you."

Blair's eyes widened and she sucked in a shocked breath, "Chuck I-"

"I love you, Blair," Chuck interrupted, unable to stop pouring out his heart to her now that he had started, "I've been in love with you for half of my life. You can't-, you can't be a disappointment. It's not possible."

Instead of responding, Blair pulled his lips back to hers and kissed him deeply. She wasn't scared anymore. She could never be scared when she was with him.

……..

A few hours later, Chuck and Blair were still lying in his bed. Her head was resting on his chest as he stroked her hair gently.

"I love you too, you know." She whispered quietly, breaking the comfortable silence. His hand stilled on her hair, which caused her to sit up so she could look at him, "I think I always waited to have sex, because deep down I think-, I think I knew it was you all along; I've always wanted it to be with you."

Chuck could only stare at her in response, and Blair quickly looked down in embarrassment, "Did you mean it?" she asked shyly.

"Mean what?"

She looked up at him with questioning eyes, "Have you really been in love with me since you were nine years old?"

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair as he blushed, "Since I was eight actually. Ever since that first day of school after I moved out to Jersey."

"Chuck-"

"I tried being with other girls because I thought I could never have you, but once I had discovered sex, I knew-," Chuck said as he looked down and linked his hand with hers. He smiled as his thumb stroked the back of her hand, "I knew that doing it with you would go above and beyond any other experience I had." He pulled her back so that she was resting against his chest again and he whispered into her hair, "And I was right."

Blair giggled and buried her face in the crook of his neck, "Do you remember when we played spin the bottle at Isabel Coates' thirteenth birthday party?"

Chuck smirked, "Your spins landed on me twice."

"And the second time you tried to slip your tongue in my mouth." She said with teasing bitterness.

Chuck's smirk grew, "Ah, of course, how could I forget?"

Blair leaned up and nuzzled her nose against his jaw before she moved her lips to his ear, "Well that was when I fell for you, 'the great Chuck Bass'," She said in a horrible impersonation of his husky drawl, "You had me under your spell and it took all my will power to avoid becoming another one of your conquests."

Chuck leaned back so he could look her in the eye as he rested his forehead against hers, "You never could have been just another conquest. You're different. Things with you have always been different."

She smiled as he moved forward and pressed his lips to hers once again. She could get used to this; being with Chuck. It already felt like this, here in his arms, was where she had always been meant to be, and always would be.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hi. I'm awful. I'm sorry. I know it has taken me forever and a day to update. Every day for the past week I have had this open on my computer, but I just didn't have the opportunity/motivation to write it. But here it is, so I hope you enjoy! I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to update again b/c of all the end of the year stuff I have for school, but I'll try my best to not make you all wait too long!

* * *

The next morning, Blair's alarm woke her bright and early. As much as she wanted to stay in bed with Chuck all day, she had already made plans to go to brunch with her grandparents, and there is no way they would let her get out of it.

Despite Chuck's groan of protest, she untangled herself from his embrace and grabbed one of the spare outfits she always kept in his closet for when she had stayed over in the past. She took a quick shower, changed, and quickly did her hair and make-up.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she found Chuck sitting on the edge of the bed wearing a silk pair of pajama pants and a wife-beater. His hair was a complete mess and his eyes were still heavy with sleep, but as soon as she emerged, he reached forward and pulled her to him.

She step between his legs and threaded her fingers in his hair as his arms wrapped around her waist and he buried his face in her dress, "Don't go" he mumbled against her stomach.

Blair giggled softly, "I have to," She said as she stroked his hair, "I promised my grandparents I would meet them for brunch."

He sighed deeply, "Are you going to come back?"

Blair's hands stilled before she whispered shyly, "If you want me to."

Chuck pulled back so he could look up at her, "Of course I do."

She smiled, "Okay, then I'll be back in a few hours." She gave him a quick kiss before she stepped away from him and grabbed her purse.

He immediately stood up and put his hand on the small of her back, "Let me walk you out."

They smiled and held hands as he led her to the elevator, where they shared a short but passionate kiss. "I'll call you when I'm on my way back." She murmured against his lips.

"I'll be waiting." He said with a smirk as she stepped on to the waiting elevator. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she let go and pressed the button for the ground floor, causing the doors to close.

Chuck watched until she was completely gone from view and then went to go back to his room to sleep for a little while longer. But when he turned around, he saw his father standing in the hall watching him with raised eyebrows and a knowing smirk on his face. Bart nodded once in approval before he walked across the room into his office.

Chuck shook his head and continued his journey back to his room, already eagerly anticipating Blair's return.

…………………

At brunch with her grandparents, Blair was nervous. She knew she needed to tell her grandparents about her and Chuck since they would find out eventually anyway and she was scared for how they would react. They had never really approved of her friendship with him, so she knew there was no way they would be happy that she was now dating him.

When Harold asked her what she had been up to the night before, Blair saw her opportunity to break the news to them. "Uh, not too much, I just hung out with Chuck." She said as she pushed her food around on her plate, "We-, uh, I broke up with Aaron and Chuck and I, um, we're actually kind of _together_ now."

Blair tensed, waiting for her grandparents to get angry and yell, but they merely exchanged a quick glance with raised eyebrows before they continued eating their meals.

"Are you-, you're not upset?" Blair asked hesitantly.

Eleanor took a sip of her coffee before she responded, "Blair, you have been hanging around that boy for years now. With the way he looks at you and the amount of time you two spend together, your grandfather and I knew it was only a matter of time before you got together," She paused and looked reproachfully at her granddaughter over her mug, "no matter how much we may have hoped and prayed to the contrary."

Blair's fork and knife were frozen in midair over her plate as she stared in shock. "Could you please pass me the salt, Blair dear?" Eleanor asked, effectively ending the conversation.

…….

When Blair returned home later that night, she went straight up to her room without stopping to tell her parents about her and Chuck. She had never voluntarily shared information about her social life with her parents before and she figured they would find out on their own eventually anyway.

She wanted to call Serena and tell her, but Blair figured she could wait a few more hours. It would be worth it to see her reaction in person.

…….

The next morning at school, Chuck and Blair arrived separately around the same time and met each other on the front steps. They walked together to Blair's locker and Chuck lounged nonchalantly against the wall next to it as Blair got out her books for her first class.

To the casual observer, it appeared as if nothing had changed at all, but when Serena walked up to them, she noticed immediately that something was different. Chuck was leaning so that he was facing Blair, and he was staring at her with pure, unmasked adoration while Blair was looking back at him lustfully through lowered lashes with a playful smirk on her lips. But more importantly, Serena noticed, the stifling tension of unannounced, hidden feelings had all but disappeared.

Serena put all the pieces together and realized what undoubtedly had happened, causing her to squeal with excitement as she reached them. Chuck and Blair broke out of their intense stare and Blair glared at her disapprovingly.

Serena ignored her look and pulled her into a tight hug, "Oh my God!" She shrieked, "You guys are finally together!"

"You're choking me, S." Blair gasped, but she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face.

"Charity," Chuck said as he stepped forward and tried to gently pry Serena's arms from around Blair's neck, "I would appreciate it if you didn't kill my girlfriend on our first official public outing together."

Serena quickly let go and stepped back while Chuck and Blair shared an amused glance, "I'm sorry, I just can't believe you finally told each other how you feel! I've only been telling you both to get it over with since, like, we became friends."

Blair rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Serena. Come on, we have to get to class." She looked back at Chuck as she closed her locker and gave him a secretive smile.

They turned to walk in opposite directions, but Serena looked uncertainly between them and before they could take a step she asked, "Chuck, where are you going?"

Both Chuck and Blair paused and turned back around to face the blonde. They looked at her with matching incredulous expressions, "I'm going to my class," Chuck stated in an obvious tone, "The same class that I have had all year; the one that is on the opposite side of the school."

Serena placed her hands on her hips and tossed her hair over her shoulder, "But you and Blair are _dating_ now." She responded in a tone that mimicked his, "Aren't you going to walk her to class?"

Blair snorted and Chuck smirked as he told her, "Look, S, I don't know how your relationship works, but me being with Blair doesn't make her handicapped. She has been able to get to her class all on her own for the past seven months, and I'm quite sure that she is still perfectly capable of getting there without my assistance."

Serena's face fell as she hesitated, "But…"

"No 'buts,'" Blair cut her off sharply, "Chuck and I don't need to flaunt our relationship like the other attention-hungry couples around school. We already get enough attention on our own. We don't need to engage in excessive PDA, or grope each other in the hallways, or walk each other to class-"

"Although the first two are always options." Chuck interrupted with a lecherous smile.

Blair barely glanced at him as she continued, "Our relationship doesn't need to be any more of a public fiasco then it is already inevitably going to be. We aren't going to conform to the social norms for couples here in suburbia. We are happy the way we are."

Chuck stepped closer to Blair as he added, "Plus, everything is so much more _fulfilling_ when we have been restraining ourselves all day."

"Chuck!" Blair admonished as she hit him on the shoulder playfully.

He just laughed and kissed her on the cheek, "I have to go. I'll see you in Calculus."

Blair smiled and squeezed his hand, "I can't wait." He winked at her as he turned and headed down the hall to his class.


	13. Chapter 13

After school that day, Blair had to stay late for a student council meeting. Chuck decided to stay and wait for her even though she had driven herself to school that morning. He figured it was worth hanging around the school to spend more time with his new girlfriend; plus, he was in no hurry to get home to his empty house.

When the meeting was over Blair exited with Andy Clark, the student council treasurer, right behind her.

"So, Blair," He said as he jogged up beside her, "I hear you broke up with that city guy you were dating. Aaron, right?"

"Uh, yeah," She replied absentmindedly as she turned the dial on her locker to open it.

Andy leaned against the lockers and shot her a charming smile, "Well, I was just thinking, now that you're single, maybe, you know, we could finally give this thing a shot."

"What?" Blair asked as her eyes snapped up from her purse to meet his, finally pausing and giving him her attention.

"You know; the attraction that's been between us this whole year. Don't try to act like you haven't felt it." He moved forward and lifted his hand to brush back a strand of her hair.

"I haven't." She spat, slapping his hand away before he could touch her. She slammed her locker closed and turned towards him with a sigh as she placed her hands on her hips, "Look, Andy, while I am flattered, I can't go out with you. I'm with someone else."

"But I thought you and the artist kid just broke up this weekend?"

"Yes, but I broke up with him _for_ someone else." Blair explained slowly, her patience wearing thin. She began to look around the halls, hoping Chuck had waited for her like he said he would and that he would come save her soon.

But Andy was still persistent, reaching forward to touch her arm, "Come on, Blair, stop playing hard-to-get. You know we'd be great together."

She ripped her arm out of his grasp and glared at him. Before she could formulate a response dark enough to convey her anger, she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her waist and a smooth pair of lips whisper against her ear, "Have I ever told you how fucking hot you are when you're angry?"

Blair turned her head and gave him a seductive smile as she leaned back further into his embrace. Chuck, who had been listening to the whole exchange from around the corner, smirked back at her before pressing a lingering kiss to her neck.

Andy looked back and forth between the two of them as he put the pieces together, "Him? You're with Chuck Bass? What; were all those rumors about you being fuck-buddies actually true?"

Chuck pursed his lips as he stepped forward so he was standing beside Blair with one arm still around her waist. His eyes were dark with anger as he stared down the other boy, "Look, Andy," He said patronizingly, "as much fun as it has been to listen my girlfriend completely shut you down, I think she has made her rejection of your advances quite obvious and at this point you have just become an annoyance, so it is probably best if you take your leave."

"Excuse me?" Andy asked indignantly before he turned to Blair once more to try and appeal to her, "Blair…"

But she just held up her hand and shook her head, "No, Andy, just stop. There never has nor will there ever be anything between you and I. So if you'll excuse us, Chuck and I really must be going."

Blair grabbed Chuck's hand and as they brushed past the other boy Chuck gave him a snide smirk. He pulled Blair in closer to him so he could press a kiss to the side of her head as he gave Andy one more pointed glare before he turned completely around and walked out of the building with his girlfriend.

……

When Blair arrived home later that evening, her parents were still sitting at the dinner table, sipping glasses of wine. She went to head up the stairs to her room, but she stopped when she heard her father call out, "Blair, honey, is that you? Could you come here for a minute?"

"Um, sure…" Blair said hesitantly as she stepped back down from the stairs and walked into the dining room. She placed her hands on the back of one of the chairs and looked back and forth between her parents expectantly, waiting for the lecture she knew was sure to come.

"You're coming in quite late. School got out hours ago, and you missed dinner." Her mother said.

Blair crossed her arms over her chest defensively, preparing for a battle, "I had a student council meeting after school, then Chuck and I got something to eat afterwards."

"Oh, you were with Chuck, huh?" Her mother said with raised eyebrows, "I actually ran into his mother today and she told me quite the funny story."

"Oh?" Blair asked with fake interest.

"Yes, she told me that her ex-husband informed her that their son had a new girlfriend; a girlfriend who happened to be the granddaughter of Harold and Eleanor Waldorf. Now imagine my surprise when I heard that _my_ daughter was dating Bart Bass's son when _I_ thought that you were still with Aaron Rose."

"I broke up with Aaron."

"So it's true then?" Her mother asked harshly, "You're dating Chuck Bass, and you didn't even think to mention it to us?"

Blair looked at her quizzically, "Why would I? When have I ever talked to you about any of my boyfriends?"

"Sweetie, we're just worried." Her father interjected, trying to sooth the tension.

Blair rolled her eyes, "Wow, better late than never, right?

"Look, Blair, I know you've been close with Chuck for a while, but don't forget about his reputation! You just don't get it. Boys like him are only after one thing and once he gets it he'll move on to another girl. We just don't want to see you get hurt." Her mother said.

"Gee, Mom, thanks for that insight into the psyche of my best friend. You _obviously_ know him better than I ever could." Blair spat out sarcastically. She put a hand on her chin and looked at her mother quizzically, "Although, what exactly is this "thing" you're talking about? Because if it's _sex_, then you're speech is coming a little too late. Chuck and I have already done that "thing;" multiple times actually, and he's still sticking around. Maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do."

Her father's mouth dropped open in shock and her mother placed her head in her hands, "Oh Blair, you didn't. You _know_ how classless the Basses are. He's just going to stay until he has no more use for you or until Bart gets enough hold over your grandparents, and then he'll leave you behind brokenhearted. You're too good for that."

Blair's eyes narrowed, "Chuck has been my best friend since you moved me to this godforsaken town. He's always been there when I needed him and he has never, ever hurt me in any way. He's probably been the most reliable person in my life and he has never been anything less than a gentleman to me. If he was just using me, why would he have been so patient? Wouldn't he have tried to push me into sex or a relationship, especially if that was what his father wanted?" Blair chuckled softly and shook her head, "If you must know, Chuck's been in love with me for years and he never once made a move, simply because he didn't think that I wanted him. Does that sound like someone who is just using me for sex? You have absolutely no right to judge him or our relationship."

Without waiting for a response, Blair turned on her heel and walked out of the room. She was almost to the stairs when she heard her father call out, "Blair!"

Against her better judgment Blair paused and turned around to face them with her hands placed defiantly on her hips. Her father sighed and ran his hand over his face, "We didn't want to do this, Sweetie, but if you won't listen to what we have to say, then we really have no other choice."

"What are you talking about?" Blair asked.

"We're going to have to forbid you from seeing Chuck."

"What?" Blair asked with a laugh, "While I appreciate the whole parenting act you have going on here, it's too little too late. I'm eighteen now. You can't stop me from seeing anyone, especially not him."

Blair's mother was sitting up straight with her hands folded on the table in front of her as she cocked her head slightly, "As long as you live in our house, you'll follow our rules."

"Fine, I'll move out." Blair said calmly.

"What?" Both of her parents asked in unison.

Blair flashed them her politest smile as she explained, "It's simple really. There's only a few more weeks of school, so I'll just go stay with Serena, or Chuck, until graduation and then I'll go stay with Grandma and Grandpa for the summer until I start school in the fall." She sent them another sickly sweet smile before she began to walk up the stairs.

She got about halfway up before her mother responded, "I don't think Eleanor and Harold are going to be any receptive to your new boyfriend than your father and I are. You know how they hate Bart Bass."

Her mother had risen and was now standing near the base of the stairs as Blair turned to her with a blank expression, "They seemed just fine with it when I told them this weekend."

"They know?"

"Of course they do. I told them the day after it happened." Blair cocked her head, "What, are you surprised? I've always talked to them more than I've talked to you." Blair flipped her hair over her shoulder and continued walking up the stairs, ignoring her mother as she called out to her.

A few moments later, Blair came back down the stairs with a bag in her hand and her cell phone out.

"Where are you going? You just got home." Her mother asked harshly.

Blair looked up and met her harsh gaze with her own glare, "Does it even matter? You're kicking me out anyway, right?"

"Blair…"

"I'm just going to Serena's, and maybe Chuck's. Either way, don't wait up. I'll get the rest of my stuff tomorrow."

Her mother sighed, "Don't be ridiculous, Blair."

Blair's phone beeped and she looked down. After she read the text, she grabbed her keys and rushed out the door, "I'll see you tomorrow. Or maybe not. Whatever. I have to go."

The door closed with a slam as Blair left with her parents shaking their heads in disapproval.

…..

After Blair left, Rose called Eleanor, intent on getting some explanation, "I can't believe you knew my daughter was dating Chuck Bass and you didn't feel the need to tell me!"

"Well it wasn't on purpose." Eleanor reasoned calmly, "I assumed Blair would tell you herself. It was quite obvious that she was very excited, although she tried to hide it since she didn't think we would approve."

"About that," Rose huffed, "How could you _approve_ of this relationship?"

"Approval is probably the last word I would use to describe my feelings on the latest development in Blair's relationship with the Bass boy."

"But Blair said-"

"That I didn't have a complete breakdown and scream my disapproval? No, I didn't." Eleanor said in a tone that told Rose she knew that was _exactly_ how the younger woman reacted, "You see, Rose, I know Blair and I know her history with young men. She has never had a relationship last more than a few months, and I don't see that pattern changing for Charles Bass. When she starts at Columbia this fall, she will meet a whole new group of people and they will inevitably grow apart."

"But he is going to Columbia too."

"It doesn't matter." Eleanor sighed with exasperation, "You remember how college changes things. And their break-up will most likely end up leaving at least one of them bitter and it will effectively end this little friendship they've always had and we won't have to deal with the Basses at all anymore. Don't you see that this is actually a good thing? I don't know why we didn't push them together earlier."

"So you're saying we support their relationship now, because they will just end up broken up and hating each other and then they won't even be friends anymore?" Rose asked skeptically.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, dear."

Rose sighed, "I sure hope you're right. She spent too much time with that boy when they were just friends. I don't want to imagine how it will be now that they are dating."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Just a quick explanation about prom in Northern New Jersey or at least where I am from/where this story takes place. I know in most places there are a ton of after parties on prom night or whatever, but in NE New Jersey there may be some after parties, but pretty much everyone (I would say like 97% of prom-goers), go down the shore afterwards for the weekend and spend the whole weekend partying instead of just one night. I hope that helps you understand some of the discussion in this chapter a little better.

Also, I know this chapter is pretty short, but I'm super busy with end of the year school stuff, so I wanted to get it published. There is a section from the next chapter that I probably could have included in this chapter, but then the next chapter would have very little CB, so I didn't think you all would like that very much. Hahaha. So I hope you enjoy this short chapter!

……………………………………………………………….

Blair's parents didn't kick her out. When she returned home the next day after school her parents were waiting for her and explained that they had overreacted and they would try to be more understanding about the whole situation with Chuck.

Blair didn't pay much attention to their little speech, she was just glad she wouldn't have to spend time moving out. Prom was coming up and she was very distracted. As the date of the dance approached she and Serena got more and more excited. Lately, the vast majority of their conversations revolved around prom, which was beginning to get on Chuck's nerves. He was looking forward to the dance too, but he didn't see the need to go over every little detail for the weekend a hundred times.

He had begun to just zone out when they were talked about it, but one day at lunch the topic of their discussion peaked his interest. They were planning a dress shopping trip and they were deciding what stores to go to.

"Can I join you two in this undoubtedly enjoyable pre-prom experience?" He asked with a smirk as he pictured Blair modeling a multitude of delectable gowns for him.

Blair looked affronted, "Of course not!" She exclaimed, "You can't see my dress until the night of the prom."

"What is this, our wedding?" Chuck muttered bitterly.

Blair scoffed, "Prom is the second most important day in a girl's life, right behind her wedding. Don't mock it."

Serena decided to change the subject before Chuck could respond. "Are you two going to come down the shore with all of us after the dance?" She asked.

Blair and Chuck shared a weary glance that Serena noticed. "What? What is it? You're not coming?" She pouted.

"I don't know, S," Blair sighed as looked back at her, "I mean, we're not really excited about it. There shore is just so _dirty_. I feel like I'll get an STD just walking on the boardwalk." Chuck snorted causing Blair to look over at him with a self-satisfied smile on her face.

"But you guys _have_ to come! I don't want to go all alone!" Serena whined.

Chuck lazily cocked his eyebrow, "Won't your little boyfriend be there?" He asked.

"Well, yes, but it won't be the same without you guys!"

"Ugh, stop whining. We'll go, okay?" Blair finally gave in begrudgingly.

"You will?" Serena squealed at the same time as Chuck's face fell, "We will?" He asked skeptically.

Blair rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Yes, but just for the day. There is no way I'm spending the whole weekend at that dump. We'll go for one day and then spend the rest of the weekend at my grandparent's house in the Hamptons as planned. You are welcome to come with us."

"I don't think Paul will want to," Serena said hesitantly, "He's going to want to stay at the shore with everyone else."

"Fine. If you would rather spend the weekend with your boyfriend in the slums of Seaside instead of at my grandparent's mansion in the Hamptons, than that is your choice."

Chuck leaned forward and placed his hand on Blair's thigh, "Plus, it will give Blair and I more _alone_ time."

Blair slapped his hand away and gave him a reproachful look, only causing his smirk to grow until her mask broke and she gave him a genuine smile.

…….

The day of prom, Chuck, Serena, Paul, and a few of Blair's closest friends (or minions as Chuck and Blair liked to call them) all met at the Waldorf house to take pictures before they went to the dance.

Chuck arrived at the house first and when Blair walked down the stairs to greet him he was completely speechless. When she reached him she smirked as she placed her hand under his chin in order to close his mouth. Her touch caused his head to clear slightly and he was finally able to speak, "You look absolutely stunning, Waldorf." He said as he placed his hands on her hips to pull her close.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Bass."

Chuck leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He tried to deepen the kiss but Blair pushed him away and shook her head stubbornly, "Stop, Chuck. You can't ruin my make-up before we get to the prom or even out the door for that matter."

"Please," Chuck scoffed, "We both know you are going to be the most beautiful girl there, with or without any make-up on."

Blair smiled, but she kept her hand pressed firmly against his chest, "While that may be true, I still need to look good, at least for the pictures. I won't let you ruin a look that took hours before anyone gets to see it."

When everyone had arrived, they proceeded to take hundreds of pictures. They took pictures of all of the girls, of all of the boys, and of everyone all together before they then took pictures of the individual couples.

As Chuck and Blair took their pictures together, Serena couldn't help but admire how perfect they looked together. Watching them interact, she found herself thinking that these pictures looked like they could be for something like their engagement or their wedding. She had never seen any two people look more in love.

As the pictures were taken, Chuck couldn't keep his openly adoring gaze off of Blair who could not control the wide smile on her face.

The couple was posing a variety of different ways, creating quite the stunning photo spread. There were pictures with her back against his chest and his arms around her waist, with her looking over her shoulder at him lovingly, with him holding her hand as she stepped away from him teasingly. There were pictures with their bodies close and their heads pressed together, or with their noses grazing, or with them sharing a tender kiss. Serena was surprised to notice that there were quite a few pictures of Chuck with an actual, genuine smile on his face instead of his typical smirk.

But no matter what pose they were in, Serena noticed that Chuck was constantly touching Blair, with his hand on her hip or her back or her arm or laced with her own hand, as if he was afraid to let her go.

Watching them together, Serena couldn't help but sigh. Her relationship with Paul had never been like Chuck and Blair's. There had never been such obvious love and devotion. Not that she really cared that much. Paul was more of a high school fling than anything long term. He was fun, but the one person she really wished she could have that sort of devoted relationship with would never see her that way, especially since they were barely speaking at that point.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Just a forewarning, this chapter has very little Chuck/Blair time. I know a lot of you won't like that, but this chapter is kind of necessary for the development of this story. I'll explain at the end of this chapter a little better. I hope you like it regardless!

………………….

That night at the prom, Chuck and Blair were having a great time together. They spent the whole night dancing and snuggling. There was not a moment when you could not see them smiling and laughing together.

When it came time to announce the prom king and queen, Blair won prom queen, as was expected. And part of her duty as queen was to dance with the king, who turned out to be Dave, her ex-boyfriend.

Chuck couldn't help but feel a bit jealous as he watched the pair dance, even though he knew that Blair loved him and he had nothing to worry about. He just couldn't stand watching some other guy with their arms wrapped around _his_ girl.

But he watched them throughout the dance, and even from a distance he could tell Blair was bored and uncomfortable in the other boy's arms. Plus, the fact that she spent almost the entire dance looking over Dave's shoulder right at Chuck showed him how much she would have preferred to dance with him instead of the stiff, clumsy boy in front of her.

As soon as the last notes of the song came to an end, Chuck came up right beside them before Blair could even take a step away from the other boy and claimed her once more for the next dance.

Chuck pulled her tightly against him as another slow song started and they began to dance together.

"So, did dancing with David bring up any lingering romantic feelings between the two of you?" Chuck asked with a teasing grin.

Blair rolled her eyes as she smiled back, "Oh, of course. You know how talk of ESPN and lacrosse cleats always gets me all hot and bothered. I could barely contain myself out there." She said sarcastically.

"Really? Should I be worried?"

"Definitely," Blair giggled before she laid her head against his shoulder as they continued to sway to the music.

Chuck smiled and rested his cheek against her hair. "Well, Waldorf, when do you want to get out of here?" He asked softly.

She leaned back and looked up at him with her head slightly tilted and a mischievous glint in her eye, "Why, do you have some big plans for tonight?"

He moved forward until his lips were right by her ear before he whispered, "I think you know _exactly _what I have planned for this evening"

A shiver ran down her spine as she met his lust-filled gaze, "I think I'm ready to go whenever you are," She told him.

"I was ready to go as soon as we got here, Waldorf."

Blair rolled her eyes before she began looking around the ballroom, "I just have to find Serena and tell her we're leaving." She said as she stepped away from Chuck. He held on to her hand tightly as they began searching for their friend.

……

Serena had been enjoying her night at the prom, or at least until around the time they were announcing the king and queen. She had spent the entire night dancing, with either her boyfriend, or Blair, or some of their other friends.

But when Blair got ready to accept her crown, Serena was finally forced to take a break from her dancing and she realized she couldn't find her boyfriend, Paul.

She went out into the hallway to look for him, only to find him making out with some junior slut against the wall. His hand was up the girl's too short skirt and she had already begun to unbutton the shirt of his tux.

After staring in shock for a moment, Serena turned and walked away since she knew where things were going and she had no desire to see any more of it.

She went back into the ballroom where the event was being held and saw Blair dancing with the prom king. While she was glad her best friend was having her dream prom, Serena couldn't bear spending even a minute longer at the dance, so she grabbed her purse from the table and left as she let a few tears escape.

Serena walked outside and took out her phone. She wanted to get away and she needed someone to pick her up since all their friends had come together in a limo and she didn't want to interrupt Chuck and Blair or ruin their night to ask for a ride.

She stared down at her phone but didn't dial because she had no idea who she should call. She scrolled through her contacts, trying to find someone who was available. Rufus and Allison were both out of town for Rufus's latest book tour, Jenny was still away at school, and Dan was out on a date with one of his many groupies. No one was home at the Humphrey house…except Nate.

Serena paused over his name in her phone. He wasn't angry with her anymore, but their friendship was nowhere near where it used to be. They barely spoke, even when they were sitting in the same room together, and she knew she was really in no position to call him for a favor, but she called him anyway since he was her only option.

Nate picked up after the third ring and answered groggily, "Hello?"

Serena was full-out crying by that point as she choked out, "Nate? I-, I know we're not really friends right now, but-, but I have no one else to call."

"Serena, what is it?" He asked sounding worried.

She hiccuped slightly, "I just-, I need you to come pick me up. Please."

"Okay," He said softly, "I'll be right there."

…

Nate arrived a few minutes later to find Serena sitting on the front steps of the building with her arms wrapped around herself. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder to shield her slightly from the wind. She looked cold and upset, so he rubbed his hand up and down on her arm to try and warm her up and comfort her at the same time.

After a moment of sitting there like that, Nate looked down at her and asked, "What's wrong, Serena? What happened?"

"I just-, I really just want to leave." She said softly as she leaned further into him.

He nodded his head once in agreement. "Okay," he told her as he stood and offered his hand to help her up. He led her to the car with a hand on her back. He opened her door and held it open for her as she got in, all without saying another word.

…

Nate began driving back to the Humphrey's in silence. He didn't want to force Serena to speak, and he figured she would tell him what happened when she was ready.

"I saw Paul hooking up with another girl." She said quietly after they had been driving for a little while.

He glanced over but she was looking at her lap and playing with the hem of her dress. "I-, um, I'm sorry." He stuttered, unsure of what to say.

But Serena kept going as if he hadn't even spoken, "I don't even know why I care. I never really liked him all that much and we were probably just going to break up right after graduation anyway." She sniffed and wiped away a tear from her cheek, "I just-, I don't understand why he went behind my back. I mean, if he didn't want to be with me, why didn't he just tell me? I don't know what I did to make him do this."

"You didn't do anything. He's just stupid," Nate replied darkly, causing Serena to look over at him in surprise.

"Nate-"

"No, Serena, some guys are idiots and they can't see what they have until it's gone." Nate said passionately, "Paul is a douche and you deserve better than that."

She opened her mouth to responded, but before she could they pulled into the driveway at the Humphrey's and Nate turned the car off and turned to her, "Look, Serena, what happened tonight wasn't your fault. You are perfect, and if Paul can't see that then it's his loss. He'll regret it someday, trust me."

"Nate-," She began again, but he was already getting out of the car. She quickly grabbed her purse and opened the door to follow him, "Nate, wait! What do you mean, trust you?"

Nate froze, with his back still facing her. He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face before he turned to her, "Do I really have to spell it out? I fucked up with you, I know that. And it was probably the biggest mistake I've ever made."

"What are you talking about? You didn't do anything. I was the one who-"

"No, it wasn't you. You didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who fucked up. God, Serena, don't you get it? You were the best friend I ever had. You understood me in a way that no one else ever has, not even Dan. And I thought-, I thought I could just be friends with you, but I took so much crap from everyone about it. All my friends, they kept making jokes about how I was robbing the cradle and messing with jailbait, no matter how much I tried to tell them we were only friends. I thought I could convince them, but I could barely convince myself." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he looked away from her, "And then when you got jealous over that stupid girl I brought home…it just made it painfully obvious to me that you actually had feelings for me too, which I knew would be disastrous. You're just so young and naïve and beautiful and perfect, and I would just screw you up. Plus, I didn't-, I didn't think I could handle all the shit I would have gotten from everyone about it. I just-, I fucked up. I realize that now and I have to live with it every day," Nate chuckled quietly to himself, "Even if you're probably better off because of it."

"What?" Serena choked out.

He looked up at stared at her intently, "Come on, Serena, you better off without me in your life. You're heading off to college in a few months. You're about to start the best years of your life. You don't need to be tied down to some 25-year old glorified roadie."

"But what if I wanted to?"

It was Nate's turn to look confused, "What?"

"Nate," She said as she took a step towards him, "I've been in love with you since I moved in with the Humphrey's. You were my best friend here, more than Dan or ever Jenny. And Blair and Chuck are great and I love them, but they have all their family drama and all I wanted was just any family at all. You understand that in a way that they never could." She was standing right in front of him at that point, "You understand me better than anyone, Nate. And I always thought you were out of my reach, but I couldn't change the way I feel about you. If you feel the same way, then tell me. I do need you. I'm 18 now and I want you. I've only ever wanted you. So if you want me-"

"I do." Nate interrupted her, surging forward and pressing his lips against hers. His hands gripped her hips as he kissed her deeply before he broke away, "I love you, Serena, as wrong as that might be. I don't care. I just-, I love you."

She smiled and her fingers stroked his cheek, "I love you too." She told him as she leaned forward and kissed him again. She giggled as she pulled away and took his hand in hers, "Come on, let's go inside." She said with a coy smile as she led him up the stairs to the door.

………………………………..

A/N: Okay, so this chapter wasn't exactly crucial to the rest of the story, but still kind of important. When Nate and Serena appear together later on I just could have been like, 'Serena had broken up with Paul at the prom and Nate had admitted his feelings and they got together', but I feel like that would have been pretty abrupt/uninformative.

But I am sorry about the lack of C/B. The next chapter will definitely have a lot more.

Oh, and please review! Thanks.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I'm sorry for the long delay. I had to go through like a week-long calm down after the finale and I was packing and then my family was visiting. So anyways, here is the next chapter. I don't really have the rest of the story officially outlined, but it is going to be jumping time a bit more and is getting nearer-ish to the end.

But I already have another story idea that I may or may not be publishing soon. I'm just nervous because I've never done two multi-chapters at the same time, but this other story won't leave me alone. Lol.

Anyways, enough rambling; enjoy the new chapter!

……………………………………………………………

Early the next morning, Nate was in the kitchen making some coffee to share with Serena. They had been up late the night before just talking and snuggling and watching late-night infomercials on TV but he had still woken up at the crack of dawn and been unable to go back to sleep. He only had on a pair of sweatpants slung low on his hips and a ratty, stained t-shirt and even though he was still tired he could not stop himself from smiling.

He was just about to pour the coffee into two mugs when the doorbell rang followed by some impatient knocking at the door.

He placed the coffee pot down and made his way to the foyer. He opened the door to find Blair Waldorf standing there with her hands on her hips impatiently and Chuck Bass behind her with his hands in his pockets looking disinterested.

Nate groaned softly in frustration at the interruption as Blair pushed past him into the house, "Archibald, lovely to see you." She said harshly as she looked around, "Is Serena home?"

"Blair?" Serena said in confusion as she descended the stairs, still in her pajamas and rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Serena! You're all right, thank God!" Blair said as she gave her best friend a hug. The four of them made their way into the kitchen to continue the conversation. Nate went to the counter to finish making the coffee and Serena sat on one of the stools while Chuck and Blair stood before her.

"S, what happened to you last night? All of a sudden you disappeared and we kept calling your cell but you never picked up. We were really worried." Blair said.

Serena sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "I'm sorry. I just-, I was really upset. I broke up with Paul-"

"What!"

"I caught him with another girl."

"Oh my God, S, I'm so sorry. You should have told me though. I could have been here for you." Blair said as she stepped closer to her friend and smoothed down her hair comfortingly.

"I didn't want to ruin your prom too. You and Chuck were having such a great time and I didn't want to interrupt that."

"Serena," Blair said sternly, "You are my best friend. You can interrupt whenever you want."

"Well, not _whenever_ you want." Chuck interjected with a smirk, causing Blair to glare at him. Chuck raised his hands defensively, "I'm just saying, there might be times she doesn't really want to interrupt."

Blair rolled her eyes and turned back to Serena, "Look, S, why don't you come out to the Hamptons today with Chuck and me. It will help get your mind off everything. We'll go shopping and lie out by the pool and stay up late watching Sex and the City and drinking martinis. It will be great."

"I thought you were going down the shore today with everyone else?"

Blair snorted, "We were only going because you wanted us to and since you obviously aren't going anymore we aren't either; thank God."

Serena rolled her eyes at her friend's response before she smiled, "While I appreciate the offer, I think I'm just going to hang out around here this weekend." She said as she glanced over her shoulder and shared a look with Nate.

Blair noticed the exchange and looked back and forth between the pair before she placed her hands on her hips and asked, "Okay, what is going on here?"

Serena looked back at her innocently, "What do you mean?"

"That look," Blair said as she gestured between Serena and Nate, "Don't think I didn't notice. What happened last night?"

"Nothing." Serena said as she looked down and placed a strand of her hair behind her ear, "We just talked and worked through some things and, uh, we may have realized that, uh, we actually sort of, uh, have the same feelings for each other." She said slowly as she looked up at her friend with a small grin on her face.

Blair just looked at her in shock as Chuck asked from his place behind her, "So are you two _together _now?"

Serena hesitated and bit her lip. They hadn't really discussed that last night and she wasn't sure how to answer. She hoped they were a couple, but she didn't want to make assumptions and scare Nate off so soon.

But before she could respond, Nate came up behind her and handed her a cup of coffee as he answered, "Yes, we are," before he placed a tender kiss on her cheek, causing Serena to beam up at him.

Blair looked between the pair again and at Serena's large grin before she sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine, S. Even though I don't necessarily approve of this, you are obviously happy, so I guess I'm happy for you."

"Thanks B, I'm glad I have your approval." Serena said somewhat teasingly as she turned her head and gave Nate another kiss.

Chuck cleared his throat, causing the pair to break apart and look at him, "If you are not going to be coming with us, Charity, Blair and I really must be going. We're wasting daylight here that we could be spending out on the beach."

When all three of them looked back at him in confusion, Chuck just shrugged his shoulders, "What? Are you really surprised that I am eagerly anticipating a weekend where my girlfriend will be clothed mostly in a bikini or nothing at all?"

Nate and Serena's face scrunched up in disgust and Blair hit his shoulder as she scoffed, "You are heinous."

"That's why you love me, Waldorf."

Blair ignored him and gave Serena a hug as she spoke softly in a serious tone, "Be careful, S. I don't want you to get hurt again."

Serena gave her a reassuring smile, "I won't be. I'm sure of it."

……..

Chuck and Blair had a great time during their weekend in the Hamptons. They spent their time walking along the streets in town and shopping or laying out in the sun, and Chuck even convinced Blair to take a dip in the pool.

The day before they had to go back home, Chuck and Blair had spent the entire morning together in bed. Afterward, Chuck was taking a shower as Blair sat in the window seat and looked out over the large, landscaped backyard.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even realize Chuck was out of the shower until he sat down next to her. He put his arm around her waist and kissed her shoulder before he asked, "What are you thinking about, Waldorf?"

She looked at him briefly and smiled before her gaze returned to the window, "When I was younger, I always wanted to get married here, you know, out in the yard. I've always thought it was so beautiful."

"It is." Chuck agreed, his chin still resting on her shoulder.

Blair shook her head sadly as she turned around, "Too bad it's never going to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"I mentioned my plan to my grandmother once and she just laughed in my face. She crushed that dream real quick. She told me that it was a ridiculous idea because Waldorf women _always _get married in a church, and besides, the yard apparently isn't nearly big enough to seat all the people that would need to be invited to a Waldorf wedding." She said in a decent impression of her grandmother's snotty voice.

Blair sighed and looked back out the window, "I know it's not possible or realistic, but every time I'm out here I can't help but think about what a wedding would be like here; how I would decorate the yard and set up the chairs and the altar."

Chuck's hand rubbed her back soothingly as he listened to her describe her dream wedding. He stared at her intently, even after she finished talking. They sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke, "If you want to get married here, you will."

Blair laughed and shook her head as she turned towards him again, "Weren't you listening? My grandmother would never allow it."

"Please," Chuck scoffed, "I'm Chuck Bass. If this is where you want our wedding to be, then I'll make sure it happens here. Not even Eleanor Waldorf will stop me."

Blair looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk on her lips, "_Our_ wedding? Since when are we getting married?"

Chuck looked down and blushed slightly, "Come on, Waldorf," he said, trying to be smooth and save face, "We've always had this magnetic pull; there is no use fighting it. We're inevitable. One day we are going to get married. You know it as well as I do."

Blair nudged her shoulder against his teasingly with a large grin on her face as she replied, "I've never really thought of you as the marrying type, Bass."

He pulled her onto his lap and leaned his forehead against hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Only for you, Blair. Only ever for you."

……..

At graduation a few weeks later Blair, as the class president and valedictorian, gave the speech during the ceremony. The theme of her speech was her reign as queen. She talked about how she had always been looked at as the 'Queen B', but she had only recently really taken control of her life. She said it was time for all of them, as a class, to become the kings or queens of their own lives and rule over their own futures, blah blah blah. It was all rather corny and contrived, but it was effective and everyone enjoyed it.

At the end of her speech, as the crowd applauded, Blair shared a smile with Chuck, who sent her a wink.

This little exchange was subtle, but it did not go unnoticed by Eleanor, who feared that the timetable for her initial plan was not going exactly as she had hoped.

………

A couple of days later, Chuck, Blair, Serena and Nate were in the city walking to one of the Bass-owned clubs to celebrate Chuck, Blair and Serena's recent graduation. The group walked down the street leisurely; Serena and Nate were swinging their entwined hands and Blair had her arm linked through Chuck's as she chatted with Serena about their summer plans. Chuck threw in the occasional witty comment, but Nate remained silent.

Chuck and Blair weren't really making him feel welcomed since they were still not thrilled with his presence in Serena's life. Even though he made their friend happy and he hadn't done anything to hurt her yet, Chuck and Blair were still wary. Serena may have forgiven Nate for his actions earlier in the year, but they had not.

The four of them entered the club and Serena immediately grabbed Blair's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor while Chuck and Nate walked over to their reserved private booth. The two boys slide in across from each other and Chuck folded his hands on the table as he scrutinized Nate, who tried to ignore him by pulling out his phone and attempting to appear occupied.

But Chuck was not deterred. He cleared his throat and spoke gruffly, "Nathaniel."

Nate sighed and looked up as he put his phone away, preparing for the confrontation he knew was coming.

"Look, Archibald, I know you must be aware that my girlfriend and I are not particularly fond of you."

Nate snorted, but Chuck ignored him and continued, "But we have tried our best to be cordial because we know that is what Serena wants. I just thought I should make you aware that we are still watching you. Blair and I haven't forgotten how you treated Serena before your little relationship, even if she has." Chuck's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, "If you ever hurt her again, Blair and I will destroy you. If you thought what we did last time was bad, this will be a hundred times worse, and Serena won't be able to stop us again."

Nate immediately looked down and nodded his head, "That's fine. I completely agree. If I hurt her again I've earned whatever you would do to me. Serena doesn't deserve to go through that again."

Chuck stared at him for a moment before he nodded his head, accepting that the other boy was being sincere. Just then, the girls made their way over to the table. Blair climbed into the booth and slid right up next to her boyfriend, practically onto his lap, and gave him a soft, lingering kiss.

Serena stood next to the table and looked at Nate with a coy smile. She bent her index finger, trying to lure him out onto the dance floor with her. Nate chuckled and shook his head, shifting further into the booth, but Serena just reached forward and pulled him out, "Come on, Natie," she said as she took his hand and led him out onto the dance floor.

Chuck wrapped his arm tightly around Blair's waist as they both watch the other couple dancing and laughing together.

"Did you talk to him?" Blair asked as she settled in next to him.

Chuck nodded, "I did, and I don't think we need to worry. I think he really cares about her."

Blair pulled away and looked at him in surprise, but Chuck simply leaned forward and captured her lips with his, leaving no room for debate.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Ah, okay, I know it has been taking me forever to update this, but I've just been more preoccupied with my new story, Being There. But I'm trying really hard to finish up this story soon, like within this month. I'm thinking there will be between 3-5 more chapters, but that could always change. Lol

Hope you like the chapter! Let me know what you think!

….

Later that August, Blair was busy moving into her new dorm room at Columbia, with the help of Chuck of course. Her grandparents were out of the country and her parents were too preoccupied with their own lives and her younger sisters to help her move in. Serena would have been there for her, but she had already begun classes at Rutgers, so that left Chuck, which was fine with Blair since he was the only one who had been with her throughout every other major step in her life.

When they arrived (Blair with the room number and keys and Chuck struggling with the first boxes), Blair opened the door to find the room unoccupied but half set up, a clear indication that her roommate had already arrived.

She knew that her roommate's name was Katelyn or Kathleen or something like that because the school had sent everyone an email about their roommate, which Blair had quickly read and deleted without much thought. All she remembered was that the girl she would be living with was from Georgia, and while Blair was trying to be optimistic, she was fairly certain she would have nothing in common with some redneck southern girl.

But as Chuck and his chauffeur began to carry in her boxes and she began to unpack, Blair noticed that hanging in the closet there was already a vast array of designer clothing and a shoe collection that, while much smaller than hers, contained the quality names she believed necessary for all footwear. Instantly Blair's expectations for her roommate began to rise.

Once all of her belongs were brought up to the room, Chuck dismissed the chauffeur and walked to the closet, where his girlfriend was trying to fit her vast wardrobe in the tiny amount of space available.

"Ugh! I left a quarter of my wardrobe at home and half of what I brought out here is at your house and I _still_ can't fit it all in here!" Blair groaned as she threw a pile of hangers on the ground and stomped her foot in frustration.

Chuck couldn't help but smirk as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck before he spun her around to face him, "Relax, B," He soothed, "If you need to, you can leave more stuff at my place. We both know you are going to be spending most of your time there anyway."

Chuck slowly took the remaining clothes from Blair's hands and placed them gently on the nearby shelf before he turned back to his girlfriend and pulled her close, "I think that before we do anymore unpacking we should focus on a more pressing task."

"Oh, and what would that be?" Blair asked with a coy smile.

Their lips were almost touching as Chuck replied, "Christening this room, of course. We have already marked every room in my apartment, so it is only fitting that we do the same here."

He leaned forward and closed the marginal distance that separated them, capturing her lips with his in a searing kiss. In an instant Blair found herself pushed up against the nearest wall and without a thought she wrapped her legs around Chuck' waist as his hands inched up her skirt to cup her firm ass.

But just as things began to get really heated and she began to open the buttons on his shirt, the door opened and they heard a startled, "Oh my God!" which caused the couple to immediately look up and see a blonde girl who was presumably Blair's roommate standing in the doorway.

Chuck glared at the girl and he was about to tell her to get out when Blair pulled herself out of his arms, causing him to groan in frustration.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" The blonde girl said, "The room was empty when I left. I didn't think you were here yet."

"That's okay," Blair said as casually as she could, "It is your room too."

"So you must be Blair, right?" When Blair nodded the girl continued, "I'm Katie. I hope you don't mind that I already set up my stuff. I wanted to wait, but my parents had to get back to Atlanta for a big case my dad has and I wanted them to help before they left. I've been having a hard time fitting everything, and I see you have a lot of clothes too." Katie threw her hands in the air and moaned, "Why do these dorm rooms have to be so small!"

"Ugh, I don't know." Blair agreed, "Seriously, how could anyone possibly fit all of their things in a closet this small? I didn't even bring half of my wardrobe. I left it at home or at his place." She said, gesturing towards Chuck.

"Oh, right, you're from here, right?"

"Yes. Well, technically we are from New Jersey, but my grandparents and his dad live here in the city and we both spent a lot of our time here."

"Wow, so you two have known each other a long time?" Katie asked.

"Since we were kids." Chuck said as he stepped forward and took Blair's hand, "I'm Chuck, by the way, Chuck Bass."

"Are you going to Columbia too?"

"I am," He said with a nod.

"Are you living in this dorm too?" Katie asked excitedly, "We need to get to know some boys around here!"

Chuck scoffed, "Of course I'm not living here, or in any dorm for that matter. The Basses don't do communal living. It's disgusting." Katie's smile fell and Blair glared at him, but Chuck continued, gesturing with his hand lazily, "My father owns a building on the next block and he very generously gave me an apartment there. Blair is keeping a significant portion of her belongs there as well, so you should be aware that when she is not here she will usually be with me there, so she will have no need to 'get to know some boys around here.'"

Katie raised her eyebrows dubiously and Blair smacked Chuck on the arm, causing Chuck to wince and Katie to laugh as she turned her attention once more to Blair, "So how long have you two been together?"

"Well, like Chuck said, we have been best friends since we were in grade school, but we have only been officially 'a couple' for a few months." Blair told her.

Katie's phone beeped and she picked it up to check the new message as she answered, "Oh, that's cute." She closed her phone and threw it on her bed as she smiled back at Blair, "A bunch of the girls from our floor are going out for dinner tonight to get to know everyone, if you want to come. I've been hanging out with some of them and they're really nice and super fun."

Chuck opened his mouth to politely decline the invitation, but before he could Blair voiced her acceptance eagerly, telling the blonde girl that she would love to meet some of the other girls.

Katie squealed and rushed forward to give Blair a hug, "Great! Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I have to go tell the other girls." She said as she ran out of the room with a huge smile on her face.

Once she was gone, Chuck turned to Blair with a questioning look, "Must I remind you that we had dinner reservations this evening, Waldorf?"

"I know, Chuck," Blair said with a smile as she placed her hands on his chest, "But you know how important it is for me to make friends here, especially with the people I am going to be living with, and I can't just blow them off the first time they invite me out."

Chuck sighed and ran his hand over his face. He had never had to share Blair with other friends, except for Serena and she didn't even really count since it was usually the three of them all together anyway. He could already foresee more nights like this, where Blair would be with her friends and he would be alone, and he didn't like it. "There will be plenty of opportunities for you to bond with your new, lower class roommates." He pouted, causing Blair's smile to fall.

"Chuck-," She began, but he interrupted her,

"But," He continued, holding up his hand to quiet her, "I understand and I won't stand in your way of making friends, even if it is with your obviously inferior new neighbors. There will also be plenty of opportunities for us to go out together."

Blair's eyes lit up again as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, "Thank you for understanding."

Chuck sighed playfully at what a pushover he had become. He put his hands on her waist and looked her in the eye seductively, "There is _one_ condition." Seeing Blair's skeptical expression, he couldn't help but smirk, "I expect to be repaid for this abandonment and rewarded for my understanding later tonight."

Blair giggled as she leaned in closer to him, "I think that can be arranged," She said right before she pressed her lips to his.

…

A few months into the semester, Blair was out one night with some of her friends for a girls' night.

Although she still considered Serena and Chuck to be her best friends, Blair had already established a good group of friends among some of the people in her dorm and they were popular across the whole campus.

Chuck was a part of her group of friends at Columbia too, although he didn't really count anyone else in the group as his friend. He only hung out with the other students for Blair, and whenever he was involved in their activities he mostly kept to himself; only speaking to Blair unless he was making a biting or sarcastic comment.

Chuck hadn't made very many friends at Columbia, but he had never had that many real friends when they were younger either. He had always been popular in high school, but it was more because he was well-known than because he was friendly and likable. He didn't trust people enough to let them in close enough for real friendship, and he considered most people to be beneath him.

In college, outside of Blair and her group of friends Chuck didn't really hang out with anyone from school. He had bonded with a few guys from his business classes and they would sometimes invite him to parties or out for drinks, but for the most part he was only interested in spending time with Blair, and by default her friends as well.

Blair didn't mind, she loved that she got to hang out with both her boyfriend and her new friends, but her friends were not as enthusiastic. They didn't really like Chuck.

At dinner that evening after a few drinks, Katie turned to Blair and asked, "Why are you even with your boyfriend, B?"

"What do you mean?" Blair asked innocently, taking another sip of her martini.

"He is such a jerk. He is rude and conceited and not to mention a complete and total elitist snob."

Blair's brow furrowed slightly, "Yes, but _I'm_ an elitist snob, and a bit conceited."

"True," Katie nodded in agreement, "But you are better than him. You at least have the capability to make friends. He can't say the same; everyone hates him. You could do so much better, Blair. Sure, Chuck has the whole smoldering, bad boy sexy thing going on, but you could get a guy who is even better looking who has a _way_ better body and who would actually be _nice_."

"Nice boys are boring," Blair laughed, "They could never handle me. Plus, I don't want a simple, nice pretty boy. I've tried that before and it is just not as good. Chuck understands me. He is absolutely perfect for me and he is exactly what I want."

Another one of Blair's friends cut in, "But Chuck is always extremely disrespectful towards all of us. Even some of the things he says to you are completely disgusting and uncalled for."

Blair rolled her eyes, "That's just who he is. He's only kidding…most of the time. Those things he says are exaggerated or said because he _wants _to cause trouble. But he is just teasing. He is different with me; he always has been. When it comes down to it, he has always treated me with the utmost respect."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe he is just joking around," the girl said, "But what if you're not? What if Chuck really is the dick that we all think he is? What if he starts treating you like he treats us, like you are the scum underneath his shoe? What then?"

Blair sat up straighter in her seat and lifted her nose defiantly, "That would never happen. You all don't know Chuck at all; not like I do."

Katie began to protest, but Blair cut her off, "Please, don't make me choose between you guys and Chuck because you'll lose. I like you all and I would like to count you as my friends, but Chuck is the only one who has been there for me throughout everything. He has always been the one constant in my life and I will choose him every time. I've known him since I was a kid while I have only known you all a few months, and although your opinions matter greatly to me when it comes to my hair or my outfit or even my weekend activities, your opinions on my relationship with Chuck or not only incorrect, but they are also unwelcome and inconsequential." She looked at each of them with her best Waldorf glare as she continued, "Nothing you say about Chuck will change my mind about him. He gets me in a way that no one else will ever be able too. He is the only one who has always supported me and he is the only one who could ever understand all that I have been through. I love him," Blair said with a shrug, "And he is not going anywhere. We are a package deal, so either you accept Chuck's presence in my life or you are going to lose me. You don't have to like him, but you are going to have to at least tolerate him; he's not going anywhere."

…..

A/N: I hope I didn't make Chuck seem too controlling in the first part or too awful in the second part…let me know! Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

In the spring, Chuck, Blair, and Nate all made a trip down to Rutgers University to spend the weekend with Serena on her birthday. Even though they still didn't get along very well with Nate, Chuck and Blair agreed to drive down with him because he knew how to get there and he had his own car. The ride from Manhattan to Rutgers' campus took a little over an hour, which meant the three of them were stuck in a confined space for over sixty minutes and when they arrived the tension was high.

Luckily, they had driven down early to surprise Serena so she was still in class, which gave them time to cool down before they saw her.

When they arrived at Serena's dorm, her roommate answered the door when they knocked.

"Um, Serena's not here. She's still in class." The girl said awkwardly when they asked if she was there.

"Oh, that's fine." Blair said as she brushed past her into the room, "We'll just wait here until she gets back. It shouldn't be too long, right?"

"Uh, I guess not." The girl said as Chuck and Nate entered as well. "So, um, make yourselves at home. I'm Stacey, by the way."

Blair looked at her briefly and flashed a quick smile, "That's nice." She said before turned back to look the pictures on Serena's wall. "Serena should be back soon, right?"

Stacey looked at her watch, "Yeah. She usually gets back in like fifteen minutes."

"Great." Blair said, barely sparing a glance at the girl as she continued to look around the room.

As they waited, Stacey sat awkwardly at her desk. At first she tried to make small talk with Chuck and Blair (she had already met Nate and she didn't particularly like him, so she was ignoring him), but they were not very responsive, so she had given up and was on her computer, though she kept looking up and watching her guests.

Nate was dozing off on Serena's bed, while Chuck was sitting at her desk and Blair was standing between his legs, looking at the things on Serena's bookshelves. Chuck was leaning forward, with his elbows on his legs. He cheek was resting Blair's hip and his hands were gently stroking her thigh as she browsed the shelves. Occasionally her hand would drop from whatever book or nick-knack she was looking at and she would begin to stroke his soft, thick hair.

About twenty minutes after they arrived, the door opened and Serena finally returned from class. When she saw her friends in the cramped dorm room she shrieked and threw her hands out as Blair broke away from Chuck and embraced her, "B, you're here!"

Blair giggled, "We thought we would come down a little early and surprise you."

"Well this is the best surprise _ever_!" Serena said as she released Blair, "Hi, Chuck, it's great to see you."

Chuck had risen as soon as Blair had walked away from him, and when the girls broke apart he stepped forward and kissed Serena's cheek, "It's good to see you too, Charity. Happy birthday."

"Thanks," Serena smiled at him before she looked at her boyfriend, who was still laying on her bed, "Look at that old man over there," She teased, "He's so worn out he can't even stay awake to say happy birthday to his girlfriend."

Nate opened one eye and looked at her, "I'm not asleep," He said, "And I'm only worn out because I had to suffer through over an hour stuck in a cramped little car with your two obnoxious friends. So why don't you come over here and thank me for suffering through that for you."

Serena rolled her eyes and laughed as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She leaned over him until their faces were almost touching, "Thanks for putting up with my friends alone for almost an hour. You are truly a saint." She whispered sarcastically before she kissed him deeply.

After a few moments, Chuck cleared his throat uncomfortably and Blair made a noise of disgust, causing Serena to finally break off the kiss. She immediately stood up and clapped her hands together excitedly, "Oh, you guys, I'm so glad you're finally here! I have the whole weekend planned and it is going to be so much fun!" She beamed, "Tonight we are going out to dinner with all of my friends here, so you can meet them, and then afterward we are going to go to the local club that everyone always goes to. And then tomorrow Blair and I are going to go shopping in the morning and the rest of the day it will just be the four of us. I'll get to show you around town and everything. It is going to be so great!"

After she finished explaining her plans, Serena turned to her roommate, who had been watching the whole scene silently, and said breathlessly, "Stace, aren't you excited for tonight?"

Stacey looked down at her computer and then back at Serena, "Uh, yeah, sure, Serena." She said hesitantly.

Serena frowned suspiciously and turned back to her friends with her hands on her hips, "You introduced yourselves to Stacey, right?"

Nate snickered as Chuck and Blair shared a quick looked before they turned their eyes back to Serena. Chuck shrugged, "It didn't come up." He said casually.

Serena groaned and quickly introduced Chuck and Blair to Stacey. After that was done she gave her two best friends a glare, "You guys need to be nice tonight to everyone. The same goes for you too, Archibald." She said as she shot a warning look at her boyfriend, "We are spending the whole night with my friends for my birthday and I would really like it if you could at least _try_ to get along with everyone."

All three of them scowled at the idea of spending the night with Serena's new friends. Chuck and Blair were not excited about associating with the inevitably low-class state school students that were her friends.

When Blair voiced that opinion, Serena rolled her eyes, "Come on, guys. It's my birthday." She said, "You have to be nice. I warned all my friends that you would probably be less than friendly, but you could always surprise them and actually be sociable."

"Haven't they already met me?" Nate asked with a smirk.

"Yes, and they all think you are a dick," Serena said, causing Nate's smirk to grow, "But that doesn't mean you can't try to be a bit friendlier."

Nate laughed as he rose from the bed, "I have no reason to be friendly. I don't care about them or what they think of me." He said as he wrapped his arms around Serena's waist from behind, "I'm too old to try and play nice with a bunch of immature college kids."

Serena turned in his arms and pouted, "But they are my friends and I like them."

Nate leaned forward and kissed her cheek, "That's why I put up with all of them in the first place; because I love you and I know it's important to you."

Serena smiled as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

"Please, can you two keep your hands off each other? I think I'm going to be sick." Blair complained, causing them to break apart before the kiss could get too heated.

Chuck placed a protective hand on the small of his girlfriend's back, "Before we do anything, Blair and I have to go over to our hotel and drop off our things."

Blair nodded, "Yes, and I need to get ready before we go anywhere tonight."

Serena's frown returned as she turned to the two brunettes, "You're leaving already? But you just got here!"

"Well, why don't you just come with and get ready at the hotel with me?" Blair said, "It will be just like high school."

Serena grinned and clasped her hands together, "Oh, yes! That will be so much fun!" She turned to her roommate and told her, "Stacey, we will meet up with you and everyone at the restaurant at seven o'clock, okay?"

"Sure," Stacey agreed with a nod.

Serena said goodbye, grabbed her outfit for that night and took Nate's hand as they followed Chuck and Blair out of the room.

…

Later that night when they were all at the restaurant, Blair was sitting next to Serena and she couldn't help but point out something that she thought was obvious.

"You know your little friend over there is in love with you, right?" She said after all of their meals had arrived.

"What? Who?" Serena asked in confusion.

Blair nodded to a boy sitting further down the table, "You know, Joe Everyman down there. He keeps looking over here."

"Justin?" Serena said, "No, we are just friends. We have a couple of classes together and we study together a lot. He knows all about me and Nate. Justin knows I love Nate. He knows he is just my friend."

Blair looked at her knowingly, "Yes, but is he willing to let things stay that way? Just watch him. Haven't you noticed that whenever he isn't worshiping the ground you walk on he is glaring at your boyfriend? He obviously hates him."

"Blair, _all_ of my friends hate Nate."

"Well, my friends all hate Chuck too, but this is different; this is pure jealousy."

Serena raised an eyebrow at her friend, "Oh, like how your roommate is jealous of you with Chuck?"

Blair's brow furrowed, "What are you talking about, S?"

"Oh come on, Blair," Serena said in a condescending voice similar to the tone Blair had been using moments before, "Anyone can tell that Katie only pretends to hate Chuck because she is so obviously jealous of you. She wants Chuck. Everyone can see that."

Blair fell silent as she thought back on her roommate's interactions with Chuck in the past. She tried to figure out whether or not Serena's claims had any merit.

Serena smirked, "See," She said, "You know I'm right."

Blair scoffed and turned away from her friend, trying to push all thoughts of her roommate's feelings toward her boyfriend to the back of her mind.

…

After dinner Chuck, Blair, Nate, Serena, and all of her friends went out to a local club to continue the birthday celebration.

One of the guys Serena was friends with had seen pictures of Blair in Serena's room and had always found her to be attractive, so when he got an opportunity at the club that night, he decided to make a move. He sat down next to her at the bar when she was alone and introduced himself. He remembered that Serena had mentioned that Blair liked old romantic movies, so he mentioned that his roommate's girlfriend always left a bunch of them at his place. He suggested that maybe they could get out of the crowded club and go watch one of the movies.

Blair, who had been ignoring him, finally took notice of what he was saying and looked at him. She lifted one eyebrow as she looked him up and down, "You are not serious."

"Of course I am, baby."

Blair's face scrunched up in disgust, "I'm not your baby, nor would I ever be."

"Aw, come on," He said, either ignoring or not noticing her rejection, "A hot girl like you and a good-looking guy like me? You know you would enjoy it. What's holding you back?"

Blair rolled her eyes at the boy, "You see that guy over there?" She asked, pointing across the club at Chuck who was talking to Nate, "That's my boyfriend, who tends to get very protective when he sees sketchy men talking to me, especially at clubs." At the moment, Chuck looked up and saw her pointing, "Oh," Blair said with fake distress as she looked back at the boy in front of her with wide eyes, "It looks like he coming over here. If I were you I'd get out of here before he makes you leave."

"That guy is your boyfriend?" He asked incredulously, "I thought he was gay."

"What?" Blair laughed just as Chuck approached. He slid right up behind his girlfriend and put an arm around her waist.

"Who's your new friend, love?" Chuck asked in a deep, throaty voice.

She turned slightly in his arms and gestured indistinctly towards the other boy, "This is…Serena's friend." She said, unable to remember the boy's name, "He was just asking me if I wanted to go back to his room with him and watch some movies."

Chuck's eyebrows rose, "He did? He didn't know you had a boyfriend?"

"Nope," Blair said with a shrug, "He thought you were gay."

Blair didn't think it was possible, but Chuck's brows rose even higher. She nodded her head, assuring him that she was not lying. Chuck frowned as he turned his gaze on the taller, bigger boy, "Not that I have anything against homosexuals," He said darkly, "But your assumption could not be further from the truth. Besides, ignoring the fact that Blair is already taken, she would never stoop to sleeping with someone like you, she _is_ a Waldorf after all."

"Excuse me?" The boy said, insulted.

Chuck looked away and examined his nails casually, "I just have one question. Do you enjoy getting your education at the esteemed state school of New Jersey?"

"What?" the boy asked in confusion.

Chuck sighed impatiently, "Do you like studying at the prestigious Rutgers University?"

The boy scratched his head, "Uh, yeah, I guess."

Chuck's gaze became withering, "Well, if you want to continue being a student here, or anywhere in this country for that matter, I suggest you leave now and never let me catch you anywhere near my girlfriend ever again."

The boy snorted, "Why should I be afraid of you?"

Chuck smirked, "Because I'm Chuck Bass."

The boy was still trying to figure out what that meant as Chuck took Blair's hand and led her away from the bar.

Blair looked back over her shoulder for a second and couldn't help but giggle slightly, "Aw, look, he is so naïve and innocent!" She turned back to Chuck and tugged on his hand, "He doesn't even know who you are. How do you know he'll listen to your warning?"

Chuck stopped and gently caressed her cheek as he grinned, "Don't worry, Waldorf. I will be sending him a nice gift tomorrow that will make sure he understands that threats made in the Bass name are never to be ignored."

Blair leaned in closer, "Mmm, you're so sexy when you get jealous and feel threatened."

"I'm not jeal-" Chuck began to protest before Blair cut him off with a kiss. His argument was quickly forgotten as she broke the kiss and led him out of the club and back to their hotel room.


	19. Chapter 19

The next day, Serena and Blair went out bright and early to explore the local shopping. Although it had nothing on New York, Blair had to admit that the area surrounding Rutgers did have some quality clothing boutiques.

As the girls were browsing through the racks of clothing, Blair brought up her friends at NYU and their extreme distaste for her boyfriend. "They all _hate_ him, S, and it's making me start to wonder if I'm just blinded by love."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked with concern.

"It's just, with so many people so strongly against my relationship with Chuck, I'm starting to think that maybe we aren't as meant to be as I thought, you know?"  
"No, I don't." Serena said frankly.

"Well, the vast majority seem think that Chuck is completely wrong for me, so why should I continue to believe that all those people are wrong and Chuck and I are right?"

"Come on, B, you know you and Chuck and perfect together." Serena reassured her, "Those people just don't understand you, or him. They don't really know you, because if they did, they would realize that Chuck is and always has been exactly what you need."

"I guess you're right." Blair sighed as she continued to look through a rack of dresses. After a few moments she paused and looked up at her friend, "Did you really mean what you said about Katie and Chuck?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

"Oh, I don't know," Serena said with a shrug, "I was just commenting on what I had seen on some of my visits. I mean, I've only been around Katie like three times. You probably would know better than me if she was into your boyfriend."

"I guess you're right," Blair said distractedly, still thinking over the situation as the two girls continued to shop.

…

After she returned from shopping, Blair was standing in front of the closet at her hotel room trying to pick out an outfit for her night out with Chuck, Serena, and Nate. She had narrowed it down to three different dresses and was trying to choose between them when she felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around her waist and a hot breath and soft lips at her ear, "I think you should go with the black one." Chuck said huskily before he spun her around and kissed her firmly on the lips.

"Really?" She asked, "You don't think it makes my arms look fat?"

Chuck's eyes narrowed, "Don't be ridiculous. There is not an ounce of fat on your body. Plus, you know you look absolutely stunning in anything you wear."

Blair smiled half-heartedly, "Thanks, Chuck." She said before she turned back to the closet and took the black dress down from the hanger and laid it on the bed.

Chuck's brow furrowed in confusion as he scrutinized the faraway look in his girlfriend's eyes, "What's wrong, Blair?" He asked softly as he grabbed her hand and turned her back towards him gently, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," She said, doing her best to avoid his gaze.

But he reached forward and tilted her chin so she was looking up at him, "Come on, Waldorf, you know you can't lie to me. I know you better than that."

Blair sighed and stepped away from him. She walked across the room to the bag of footwear she had brought with her. "It's nothing." She said as she looked through the bag for a pair of shoes to complete her outfit, "I just-, I can't stop thinking about something Serena said." She found the heels she was looking for and straightened up and smiled at her boyfriend, "It's stupid, really. It's not a big deal."

Despite Blair's attempts to dismiss the topic, Chuck refused to be deterred, "And what did dear, old Charity say?" He asked warily.

Blair looked away once again, "She mentioned something about you and Katie; about Katie having feelings for you." Blair shook her head and the tight smile returned to her face, "Like I said, it's stupid."

But when she saw the tight set of Chuck's jaw and the grimace on his face, her smile faded, "Oh my God," She said, "Serena was right. Something happened. Oh my God. When? Why? How could you-"

"Blair," Chuck cut her off, stepping forward quickly and grabbing her arms so she was forced to meet his eyes, "Calm down. Yes, your slutty roommate made a pass at me earlier this year. But I immediately turned her down and set her straight. I made her understand that I would never cheat on you, especially not with a desperate whore like her. That's why she pretends to hate me so much. She is just bitter that I rejected her."

Blair looked confused, "What? How did I not know about this? Why didn't you tell me?"

Chuck took a deep breath and pulled her against his chest, "I only kept it from you because she is your roommate and one of your closest friends at Columbia." He whispered into her hair, "I didn't want to ruin your relationship with her; I know how important your friends are to you."

Blair scoffed, "I would never want to continue a friendship with someone who would do something like what she did. You should have told me."

He placed his hands on her cheeks and leaned his forehead against hers, "I know. I only ever kept it from you because I thought you would have wanted it that way. You know I would never go for that white trash, redneck slut over you. You are everything to me. You're all I have ever wanted and I'll never do anything to mess things up between us."

Blair wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly, "Well, I guess we will just have to take the bitch down."

Chuck leaned back and looked at her searchingly, "You sure?" He asked her. He knew what Katie had done was awful and pretty low, but he also knew that the southern girl was probably Blair's best friend at Columbia and he didn't know if his girlfriend was really ready to deal with the consequences of losing her.

But Blair just smirked, "Of course I am, Bass. Katie needs to be punished for what she did. She can't think that she can betray my trust and go after the man I love and get away with it." She looked at Chuck and raised an eyebrow, "So are you in or not?"

He returned her devious grin, "Of course I'm in. Haven't I ever told you how fucking hot you are when you are plotting the social destruction of some unfortunate soul?" He moved in so that his lips were millimeters from hers, "Let's get the bitch." He whispered before he crashed his mouth to hers.

…

Once they had gotten ready, Chuck and Blair went over to Serena's dorm to meet her and Nate to go out. When they entered the lobby, they saw Serena's friend Justin sitting at a table studying. Chuck and Blair shared a knowing look before they strolled over to the boy.

"Hello," Blair said coolly with a fake smile on her face once they had reached him.

He looked up in surprised and looked between the two brunettes before he figured out who they were, "Oh, um, hey. What's up?"

"Not much," Blair said casually, "We are just here to go out with Serena."

"Sounds fun…" Justin said, though it was obvious that he was still confused as to why they were speaking with him.

"Yes, hanging out with Serena would seem fun to you, wouldn't it?"

"Excuse me?" He asked indignantly.

"Don't play dumb," Blair said with false kindness and a shake of her head, "I see the way you look at her. I know you want to be more than just friends-," Justin opened his mouth to protest but Blair raised her hand to keep him silent and continued, "But we are here to tell you that no matter how hard you try, that will never happen."

The boy became angry, "Oh really?" He spat bitterly as he slammed his book shut and glared at the girl before him, causing Chuck to step forward protectively.

But Blair placed a hand on her boyfriend's chest to stop him and just looked down at the other boy, "Yes, really." She said with pity, "We may not be huge fans of Nate, but he is what Serena wants, what she has always wanted, and he makes her happy so you need to back off." Blair shrugged her shoulders, "We just came to warn you, before you make a fool out of yourself."

"Nate's an ass."

"True." Blair said with a nod, "I'm not denying that."

"So why shouldn't I make a move? I'd be so much better for her."

Blair frowned and glared at the boy, "No, you wouldn't. Nate may be a totally dick, but Serena loves him, and they actually work really well together. Don't try to figure out their relationship. They have a ton of history and have been through so much stuff that you could never compete with." Blair was about to turn to leave when she paused and gave Justin a knowing look, "Oh, and if you try, and you end up hurting Serena, we will make sure you regret it." She said with a nod towards Chuck, "I'm sure Serena has told you about some of the things we have done to people who have crossed us, or people we just didn't like. You don't want that to happen to you."

Without waiting for response, Blair turned and walked away. Before he followed her, Chuck gave the boy an evil smirk, "Also, don't raise your voice at my girlfriend ever again or I'll do things ten times worse than anything Blair has planned for you now." Chuck then turned and followed his girlfriend to Serena's room, leaving Justin shocked and scared. Serena hadn't told him any stories about her friends, but he would be sure to ask her about them now.

…

Soon after Chuck and Blair returned to Columbia from their weekend with Serena, a rumor began to spread that Blair's roommate Katie had a secret hillbilly husband and child back in Georgia that she had abandoned because she wanted to become rich and sophisticated.

Of course the rumor was completely false. But with the (doctored) pictures of her little family and the (fake) facebook profile for her husband surfacing, it was hard for Katie to convince people.

She was complaining to Blair about the rumor when Blair pointed out all the hard evidence.

"Come on, B, you can't really believe this." She said desperately.

Blair laughed, "Of course I don't. I started it."

Katie's eyes widened and snapped to her roommates, "What? Why would you do that?"

Blair looked at her like the answer was obvious, "Because you tried to steal my boyfriend." Katie's mouth dropped open and Blair smiled vindictively, "What, did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"Blair, I-"

"Stop," Blair interrupted. "Don't try to explain. There is nothing you can say to fix this. I know what happened, and while I don't blame you for being attracted to Chuck, I did expect you to keep yourself in check. You are my roommate, and I thought you were my friend-"

"I am your friend!" Katie pleaded.

"No, you're not." Blair said angrily. "A friend wouldn't go behind my back like that. I need friends that I can trust. And that will never be you."

"Blair…" Katie tried once more to reason with her, but Blair wouldn't listen.

"It's too late now." She said, "You have already crossed me. I won't stop until you are destroyed." She smirked at the other girl, "You should have known better then to mess with Blair Waldorf."

Over the next few days the rumor continued to spread, despite Katie's attempts to stop it. She even tried telling people that Blair was the one behind it. But when people questioned her, saying that Blair was her friend, why would she start such a malicious lie, Katie had no response. She couldn't tell them that she had tried to go after Chuck without looking like a backstabbing slut, which would also hurt her reputation.

In the end, all the talk became too much for her and she moved back to Georgia before the semester was finished and filled out the forms to transfer to a school closer to home for the next semester. Blair pretended to be sad that her roommate had been the victim of such a vicious rumor and had been driven away by all the talk, but whenever she said those things she couldn't help but share a smug look with Chuck.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: This is a short chapter, I know. But it really is the only place to break this up at this point. There are only probably two more chapters to go so the drama is coming out this chapter. I tried not to make Blair seem to heartless, and you will understand more of her motivation in the next chapter.

Enjoy and please review!

….

Less than a year later, in the middle of their sophomore year at Columbia, Chuck and Blair broke up. There was no big argument, no major fight to signal the end, nor did their relationship slowly fade over time. In fact, Chuck didn't see the end coming at all.

One day he came back to his apartment after class to find a few members of the building's staff carrying some designer suitcases out the door.

"Blair?" he called out in confusion as he walked through the apartment. He entered the bedroom and saw his girlfriend leaning over the bed, closing the last remaining suitcase. The closest was open and her half was filled with empty hangers and all the drawers of her dresser were open and bare. Chuck took all this in before he looked at her, "What's going on here, Waldorf?"

She looked up at him with a mixture of shock and fear, "Chuck, I didn't expect you to be here. I thought you had a class right now."

"I got out early." He said crisply, refusing to break eye contact.

But Blair looked down and fingered the bedspread absentmindedly, "Look, Chuck, I just-, this was a mistake. We never should have done this. We were better off as friends."

"What are you talking about?"

She sighed and continued to look away, "We aren't good together. It was stupid of us to think we would ever work out."

He took a step closer to her, "I don't know who you have been talking to and where you got this crazy idea, but you and I both know that it isn't true." He took both her hands in his, forcing her to look at him, "Blair, we are and always have been perfect together. I understand you better than anyone else ever could, and you know that you'll never find the kind of chemistry we have with anyone else."

Blair pulled herself out of his grasp before he could weaken her resolve further and stepped away from him. She shook her head and folded her arms across her chest, "No, stop, Chuck. I can't do this anymore."

"Why?" He asked with a pleading note in his voice that he tried to hide, "What brought this on?"

She was finally able to pull her mask into place and she looked him in the eyes, "It's always been there. I just pushed it aside, thinking eventually it would disappear."

Chuck's eyes narrowed as understanding washed over him, "You're really going to let what your family says get to you after all this time? I should have known that you would let their biased opinions get the best of you. Don't let what they say overrule what you feel for me."

"My out of control, lustful feelings are what have kept me blinded to the truth." She said spitefully, glaring at him harshly, "My family is right. They were finally able to make me see the truth."

"And what would that truth be?"

Blair's face softened for a split second, revealing the love and protectiveness she still felt for him, before her cold mask was restored once again, "Don't make me say it, Chuck." She said coldly.

His jaw tightened. Deep down, he knew what she would say, but he needed to hear her say it out loud, "What is the truth that your family so kindly revealed to you, Waldorf?"

She pursed her lips before she met his gaze with her cold, emotionless eyes, "You're not good enough for me. You never have been. You're a Bass, I'm a Waldorf. You come from trashy, new money while I am a part of one of the most elite and respected families in all of New York. You could never be worthy of being anything significant in my life."

Chuck's whole body went stiff and his heart constricted at her words. Even though he knew they were coming, and even though he knew she didn't really mean it, it hurt worse than he could have imagined hearing them come out of her mouth.

His throat worked as he tried to formulate a response and after seeing the pain clearly written across his face, it took all of Blair's strength to keep her mask of indifference in place and not take everything she just said back and pull him into her arms.

Finally he was able to speak, "Blair…" He whispered huskily as he shook his head, "You don't-"

But Blair cut him off with a raised hand as she brushed past him grabbing her bag on the way, "Just stop, Chuck. You can't fix this. You can't change my mind."

"Blair-" He called after her.

She turned at the doorway and looked at him with a tear in her eye, "Goodbye, Chuck. I'm sorry." She wiped away the tear and walked out of the door, leaving Chuck standing there, completely heartbroken.

But if he had just followed her, if he had decided to chase after her and opened the door and looked down the hall, he would have seen her only a few feet away, collapsed against the wall choking out the sobs she had kept contained throughout their entire conversation.


	21. Chapter 21

Shortly after she graduated from Columbia, Blair became engaged to her boyfriend of nearly eight months, Trip Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilts were one of the few families that could compare with the Waldorfs in terms of history and prestige and Trip was a well-respected up and coming politician.

On one of the first weekends of the summer, Blair and Trip held their engagement party. The party was filled with all of the most elite members of Manhattan's Upper Eastside. Blair had hoped that the announcement of her engagement would serve as her introduction as a respectable, mature adult and not just Harold and Eleanor's granddaughter.

But unfortunately for her, there was an unexpected guest who did his best to ruin her plan.

About halfway through the party, Chuck came sauntering in, having already consumed a few glasses of scotch before he made his appearance.

He strolled up to Blair, who was talking to a group of her grandmother's friends, with Serena and Nate trailing behind him to make sure he didn't cause too much trouble.

Blair saw the startled looks on the older women's faces and she turned around just as Chuck reached her. She excused herself from women and addressed Chuck with her hands on her hips, "What are you doing here, Bass?"

He smirked lazily, "Why, to give my congratulations to the happy couple, of course."

"Chuck…" Blair said warningly as Trip came over to join them.

"Blair, is everything alright?" He asked as he put an arm around her waist.

Chuck's eyes focused on Blair's hip where Trip's hand lay and his smirk quickly faded, "Ah, just the man I was looking for." He said sarcastically.

Trip glared at him, "What are you doing here, Bass? I know for a fact you were not on the guest list."

Chuck rolled his eyes, "Like that would ever stop me." A cocky grin formed on his face as he continued, "I just came to tell you what a lucky man you are. You really got quite the catch here."

"I know." Trip said as his grip on Blair's waist tightened.

Chuck's eyes flashed with anger for an instant, but his sneer remind in place, "I mean, she's beautiful, smart, and not to mention a complete tigress in bed." He looked her form up and down and his grin only grew as he saw Trip's hand clench in anger. He broke his gaze away from Blair and turned his attention back to her fiancé, "But I just thought I should let you know that when it comes to pleasure of the sexual nature, I taught her everything that she knows. So remember that every time the two of you consummate your relationship, she can't help but think of me."

Trip took a threatening step forward, "Shut your mouth you little-"

"Okay, that's enough." Serena said quickly as she stepped between the two and Blair grabbed Trip's arm to restrain him.

At the same time, Nate got a hold of Chuck, "I think it's about time you left, Bass." He said he began to lead the younger man out of the room, "You need to sleep off some of that alcohol. You reek of scotch."

Chuck scoffed as he momentarily pulled himself out of Nate's grasp. He turned back towards Blair and Trip, who were both glaring at him darkly, and bowed slightly, "Congratulations, again. I'm sure you'll enjoy many years together in your cold, loveless marriage."

Trip's face was red with fury and Blair's mouth was open in shock and embarrassment as Serena went and helped her boyfriend lead Chuck out of the room, "Okay, that's about enough out of you," she said as they walked, "You can't say just say things like that."

"I'm Chuck Bass," he drawled, "I can say whatever the hell I want."

Serena rolled her eyes at his attitude just as they reached the lobby of the building where the party was being held.

"Get off of me," Chuck grumbled as he shook off Nate's hand, "I can walk on my own. I'm not that drunk."

Serena opened her mouth to argue, but before she could get a word out, they all heard the ominous sound of stilettos storming purposefully along the marble floor. The three young people turned to see a very angry Blair Waldorf enter the lobby and stomp over to where they were standing.

"You heinous Basshole," She hissed as she slapped him across the face, "I can't believe you did that! You caused a huge scene. Are you happy now?"

"The real question is, are you?" He asked as he rubbed the quickly forming red mark on his cheek.

"What?"

He gave her a withering look, "Trip is everything you ever wanted when you planned out your perfect life. He is your perfect, little prince, and best of all, he has somehow managed to win over both your parents and your grandparents. You must be thrilled." He said sarcastically.

"What are you implying, Bass?"

"I think you know," Chuck said darkly, "You don't love him, but it doesn't even matter to you. What is important is that everyone else loves him. Your family, your bitchy little friends, the adoring public, they all approve and that is exactly what you were looking for, wasn't it?"

"Please," Blair scoffed, "You don't know what you're-"

"Yes," Chuck cut her off, "I do. Because if you wanted to be with someone you loved, you would be with me. I know you still love me, Blair. I know you always have, and you always will but as long as you can find one person who doesn't like us together you will continue to keep us apart."

"You are so conceited," Blair said, trying to remain cool and indifferent. But Chuck caught the vulnerability that flashed in her eyes and he knew that his words were getting to her.

He tilted his head and held her gaze with his as his voice softened, "Why don't you just do what you want for once? I know you want me. Why won't you just let yourself be happy?" He asked as he stepped closer to her.

Blair's mask fell away and the tears welled in her eyes, "It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Chuck sneered, "Explain it to me."

Blair shook her head sadly, "You don't understand. I didn't want to break up with you. I never wanted to, but I _had_ to. I didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice? Of course you did."

"No, I didn't. My grandparents told me that I had to pick, either you or them. Either I ended things with you or they were going to cut me off completely. No trust fund, no parties, no Columbia." The tears began to fall down Blair's face as she explained, "Don't you see? I would have lost everything. There was no other option; I had to leave you."

"No." Chuck shook his head before he looked up at her angrily, "You could have picked me. I would have taken care of you. I may be new money but everyone knows my father has as much, if not more, money as your grandparents and I would have married you in a heartbeat to make all that is mine yours. You knew that, but you made your choice because it provided you with the opportunity to do what had been in the back of your mind for a while. You wanted an excuse to end things. You couldn't handle the fact that there was so much disapproval surrounding our relationship, and your grandparents gave you the perfect reason to end it."

"No," Blair said through her tears as she shook her head, "I wouldn't-"

But Chuck ignored her and continued his rant, "I was caught off guard that night, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I knew it was coming. You have been trying to get your family's approval since we were kids. You want to be what your parents want and what your grandparents want, even though those two goals do not overlap in anyway. But they both could agree on one thing, right? That I'm no good?" He chuckled bitterly, "Their hatred for me and my father was the one thing they could see eye to eye on, and since you put so much value on what they think, I knew that as long as they both wanted me out of your life it was only a matter of time before you did what they wanted."

His face became earnest, "When are you going to get it, Waldorf? You're never going to make them happy. You've always tried to be perfect for them; to do everything they wanted from you, and they just keep wanting more. Don't you see? You got perfect grades, you got into the perfect school, you are going to marry the perfect husband and yet, you'll never be perfect. Next they are going to want you to get the perfect job and then have the perfect children. They will always find new things to want and new things to criticize."

Blair's face had hardened as she listened to Chuck degrade her family and her life, "Despite what you think, Bass, my family is very happy with my decisions right now. In fact, it seems that once you were out of the picture the criticism pretty much completely stopped."

"For now," Chuck whispered.

Blair recognized the truth in his words and her shoulder's sagged in defeat, "What do you want from me, Chuck?"

"What do I want? I want you to stop giving a fuck what all those people think!" He spat, gesturing back towards the banquet hall they had come from, "I want you to realize that you can't make everyone happy and I want you to listen to yourself and do what you fucking want for once! Because I know, I _know_ that if you stopped giving a fuck about everyone else and just thought about what _you_ wanted that you would be with me. I know you love me, Blair, and I'm not going to stop fighting until you finally let yourself give in to your true desires."

"Well it's a little too late for that don't you think?" Blair asked snidely, "I love Trip. My 'true desire' is to marry him, not matter what kind of trouble you try to stir up. You're too late."

Chuck's smirk returned, "It's never too late, B. We're inevitable. It doesn't matter if you marry someone else, I won't stop until you are mine again. Even if I have to wait until every single person who disapproves of us is dead in the ground, I'm never going to give up, not as long as I know you still love me."

"Well I don't, so you can save yourself the trouble and just stop now. I already told you once; you're not good enough for me. No matter how much time passes that is never going to change."

Chuck's face fell and his anger returned, "You forget, Waldorf, that I know you. You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. Enjoy your party. I'm sure we will be seeing each other again soon."

Chuck turned and stormed out of the lobby and into his waiting limo as Blair, Serena and Nate watched him go. After a few whispered words with Serena, Nate jogged out of the lobby to catch up with Chuck.

Once he was gone, Serena turned to Blair and sighed, "I'm sorry, B. I didn't know he was going to cause such a scene."

But Blair waved off her apology, "Can you believe that Basstard? Coming here and causing a scene like that?"

"Actually I can."

Blair's looked at her in shock, "What?"

"Blair you know you are my best friend and that I'll always support you," Serena explained, "but I'm Team Chuck on this one."

"You can't be serious." Blair scoffed.

Serena looked away for a moment before she looked at the brunette imploringly, "Look, Blair, can you just do something for me, as my best friend?"

"What is it?" She asked warily.

"I want you to go home tonight and think about what you're doing before we go to meet the wedding planner on Tuesday."

Blair's jaw dropped, "Serena, don't tell me you are going to back out on me now because of Chuck."

Serena sighed and shook her head, "I told you, B, you are my best friend and I will support you in anything you do as long as it is what _you_ want. So, please, for me, go home tonight and think about if this, if a life with Trip, is really what you want. Don't think about what your grandparents, or your parents, or Trip, or Chuck, or even what I want. Just think about what you really and truly want, without the opinions of everyone else."

"Serena," Blair said softly as she looked down, "I can't just-"

Serena quieted her with a raised hand "If it _is_ Trip then I'll be there for you every step of the way. I'll help you plan the biggest, grandest wedding the Upper Eastside has ever seen and I'll stand up front on your wedding day and smile as you say your vows." She flashed best friend a smile before she continued, "But if you can't look me in the eye and tell me that you love Trip with your whole entire heart, then you better start looking for a new maid of honor because I won't participate in something that I think would be a mistake." Serena paused and squeezed Blair's arm reassuringly before she stepped back and looked over her shoulder at the waiting limo, "And as your maid of honor I should probably stay until the end the party, but I'm going to go with Chuck, if you don't mind. He shouldn't be alone right now. Despite his act of bravado, he's taking this whole engagement pretty hard."

Blair nodded with tears in her eyes, "It's okay. I understand."

Serena smiled at her, "Don't worry, I know you will make the right decision for you."

The two girls hugged and Serena walked out, leaving Blair standing there by herself. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. She had a party to get back to. She could think about what Serena had said after it was over.

…

A/N: Meh, this kind of changed from how I originally had planned it, but I couldn't remember how I had originally imagined it. Oh well. The next chapter should be the last one, but it depends how long it gets.

Please review and let me know what you think!


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: I don't even know why I even try to guess how close the story is to ending, since I always am wrong. For some reason I said this would be the last chapter, but that is clearly incorrect. There will be two more, most likely. Yay! At least, I hope it is a good thing. I also mentioned that I wouldn't update Being There until this story was finished, but that was also a lie. Hahaha.

Oh, and I mentioned to some of you, if you remember a while ago I mentioned that I wished I had made Nate's character in this story Carter instead and if I had done that Trip would have been Nate. I hope that isn't confusing.

…..

Later that night, Chuck was awoken on the couch in his apartment where he had passed out after multiple glasses of scotch by an incessant knocking at his door. When it became obvious that whoever was knocking did not plan on leaving without a response, Chuck groaned and slowly pulled himself to a standing position.

He made his way over to the door and when he looked through the peephole he could not believe his eyes. He wondered how drunk he really was before he opened the door and realized that Blair Waldorf really was standing in the hall outside his home, silently crying her eyes out.

"I didn't expect to see you here tonight, Waldorf," He said lazily as he leaned against the edge of the door, "Why aren't you out celebrating with your fiancé?"

Blair walked into the apartment and looked up at him once he had shut the door, "I couldn't do it." She said through her tears, "Serena told me-, she said I had to choose, and-, and the whole night I-, I couldn't stop thinking, and I realized that I can't-, I can't do it."

"Do what?" Chuck tried to sound irritated in order to mask his genuine curiosity. Blair's sobs had made her speech hard to decipher and he couldn't figure out why she was in his apartment or what she was trying to tell him.

She took a deep, shaky breath and stared at him with watery eyes, "I can't marry Trip." She was unconsciously rubbing the ring finger of her left hand, which caused Chuck to notice for the first time that she wasn't wearing her ring, "I told him after the party, in front both of our families, that I couldn't do it. I don't love him, Chuck. I love you. I've always loved you."

Every bone in Chuck's body screamed at him to close the short distance between them, but he remained where he was. "What about your family? What happens tomorrow when you talk to your parents or your grandparents and they tell you this is a mistake and that Trip is everything you could ever want? What then?"

Blair's face hardened, "It wouldn't matter. I tried making them happy once and it wasn't enough. I won't do it again."

Chuck saw the determination in her eyes and he nodded in acceptance, but still didn't make a move towards her.

Blair shrugged her shoulders and continued, "Besides, Serena made me realize that the person I need to make happy first is myself, no matter what anyone else has to say. Trip isn't what I want. You are."

Chuck's eyes widened in surprise before a possessive scowl formed on his face, "Well, it's about fucking time." He growled as he finally walked to her, placed his hands on her face and pulled her to him, kissing her with all the pent up aggression and passion he had kept in since the last time he had been with her.

…

The next morning, Blair woke up wrapped up in Chuck's arms. She smiled to herself and pressed a kiss to his shoulder before she reached for her phone to check the time. When she did, she saw that she had multiple missed calls and three new voicemails.

One was from her mother, asking her what she was thinking and if she was insane. Rose went on and on about what a mistake she was making and asked how could she do that to their family.

Blair immediately deleted it and listened to the next message which was from Serena, asking her how the rest of the party went and if they were still meeting for brunch that day. Blair quickly texted her, letting her know that yes, they were still on for brunch and that she would tell her all about the party while they ate.

The last message was from Blair's grandfather. He told her that both he and her grandmother were very disappointed with her actions the previous day and they thought she was making a huge mistake. He said that the news had not spread to the media yet and there was still time for her to fix things. He thought that if she contacted Trip and apologized he would still be open to taking her back and continuing with the wedding as planned.

Blair groaned quietly as she closed her phone and put it into her purse. She was already dreading meeting with her family later that day, but she decided to put it out of her mind as she got ready to go see Serena, the one person that she knew would support her decision.

After she had showered and changed into the extra set of clothes she had brought with her the night before, Blair grabbed her stuff and sent Serena a text to let her know she was about to leave for the restaurant before she walked back over to Chuck, who was still asleep in the bed.

She smiled as she leaned down, brushed his hair off of his forehead and kissed his jaw. She didn't want to wake him, so she stood up straight and looked around for a piece of paper to write a note so he would know where she was when he woke up later. But before she could locate any, she heard a movement on the bed followed by a deep, familiar voice.

"You're leaving."

It was an accusation, not a question. She turned around and saw the confirmation of her assumption in his eyes. He was looking at her darkly with his cool mask of indifference on his face. He thought she was leaving for good; that she believed last night was a mistake. He thought she was running back to her family and back to Trip.

Blair sighed and walked over to sit down on the bed next to him. She took his hand in both of hers and brought it to her lips, "I am, but only for a few hours." She said quickly before he could pull away from her, "I'm meeting Serena, to tell her the good news so that she can help me put a stop to all the wedding preparations that are already underway."

"Let me come with you." Chuck said, unwilling to let her out of his sight so soon and risk losing her again.

Blair smiled and gently pushed him back before he could rise further from the bed, "No, Chuck, I already told her I was on my way. I don't have time to wait for you to get ready, I'm going to be late as it is."

"Fine," Chuck's jaw clenched before he reached up and stroked her cheek, "but before you go, I have something to give you."

Blair looked at him in confusion, "What? How? You couldn't have known I was coming here last night."

"No," Chuck agreed with a quiet laugh, "This is something I've had for a while now."

He got up from the bed and took her hand. With a grin on his face he led her down the hall and into his office. Blair's confusion only grew as he went behind his desk and opened up his safe. After a moment he turned back around with a small, black box in his hand.

Blair's eyes were wide as the moved back and forth from the box to Chuck's smiling face, "Chuck…" She said softly and shook her head, "What-"

"I've had it since our freshman year at Columbia," He explained as he opened up the box and showed her the beautiful diamond ring, "I always knew you were it for me, but I was too much of a coward to actually give this to you until it was too late. Now that I have a second chance I'm not going to make the same mistake. Marry me, Blair. I don't want to wait anymore."

"Yes! Oh God, yes!" Blair said as she giggled through her tears. Chuck slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her softly. When they broke apart Blair hit his shoulder playfully, "You stupid Basshole, you ruined my make up," She wiped at her eyes in an attempt to control the smudging, "And I am already so late to meet Serena."

Chuck simply smirked and pulled her face to his for another kiss, "Just call her and cancel. Tell her over the phone. She will understand."

"I wish I could, but I really can't," Blair sighed, "There is something else I have to do after I meet with Serena."

Chuck's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Like what?"

"I am going over to my grandparent's penthouse." Seeing his look of disapproval, Blair quickly explained, "Chuck, they need to know about us. They have already called me, trying to convince me to take Trip back. I need to tell them that I'm not going to change my mind. I've made my choice and it is final."

Chuck's expression softened and he took her hand in his so he could play with her new ring, "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

Blair shook her head, "No, it will only make them more hostile. I need to do this on my own."

Chuck nodded his head in understanding, although he was still nervous about letting her go. He knew how much power Eleanor and Harold had over Blair and how persuasive they could be. He didn't want Blair to be sucked back into their way of thinking and end up leaving him once again. He knew that if he could just stand in the room with her when she spoke to them, even if he didn't say a word, it would be enough to keep her resolve strong. Even though he wanted to believe in Blair, Chuck knew that when she was alone with her grandparent's disapproval, Blair would be much more likely to cave to their desires and forget her own.

While Chuck was thinking about this, Blair had gone to the bathroom to repair her make-up as best she could and grab her purse. Through the cloud of his thoughts, Chuck heard her call his name from the front room and he quickly went out to find her.

She smiled when he walked into the room, "I have to go, but I wanted to say good-bye before I left." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly, "I promise, I will only be gone as long as I absolutely have to be. Will you wait for me?"

"For as long as it takes." Chuck said softly as he pressed another quick kiss to her lips.

Blair smiled as she stepped away from him, "I love you."

"I love you too," Chuck said as she stepped out of the door, "Oh, and Blair?" She paused and turned to look at him questioningly, "Don't completely get rid of the wedding planner. When I said I didn't want to wait, I was serious."

"Chuck-"

"We will discuss it later," Chuck said with a grin, "I just wanted to give you a warning."

Blair couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she shook her head and walked out of the apartment.


	23. Chapter 23

Serena was just about to call Blair when she saw the brunette enter the restaurant and hurry over to their table. Blair gave her a kiss on the cheek before she sat down in her seat.

"Sorry I'm so late, S," She said as she set down her purse and removed her sunglasses, "But Chuck woke up before I could leave."

"Don't worry about it, B, it's no prob-," Serena paused as Blair's words sunk in, "Wait, what did you just say? You were with Chuck?"

Although she was trying to be nonchalant, a big grin broke out on Blair's face as she nodded, "I took your advice last night and after the party I ended things with Trip."

"And got back together with Chuck?"

"Yes," Blair was absolutely beaming and Serena couldn't help but share in her happiness, "I thought about what you said and I realized that Chuck has always been it for me, whether I wanted to admit it or not. I need him."

Serena reached across the table and squeezed her hand, "Oh, B, I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, S," She said, "I'm just glad I finally made a decision for me for once. I've never been surer of a choice before in my entire life."

Serena smiled and pulled out her phone, "Well, I guess you will want to cancel that meeting with the wedding planner tomorrow. I can call her to let her know that you won't be needing her help anymore."

Blair quickly placed her hand over the blonde's phone, "Actually, I think we should keep that meeting. There are some things I need to discuss with the planner."

Serena looked confused, "Like what?"

Blair lifted her left hand to casually rub her neck, giving Serena a clear view of her ring finger in the process, "Oh, just my wedding to Chuck."

"You're engaged?" Serena shrieked, "But how? Where did he get a ring?"

"He's had it for years, apparently. He proposed this morning before I left. And he wants to get married soon, so I'm still going to need that wedding planner."

"Okay, we'll talk to her tomorrow," Serena said, "Oh, B, I'm so happy for you. Finally everything is working out."

Blair smiled as she looked down at her ring, "Yeah, it really is."

…

When the two girls exited the restaurant a short while later, Chuck's limo was parked across the street and he was leaning against it calmly. When his gaze met Blair's a lazy smirk appeared on his face.

Serena immediately walked up to him and kissed his cheek, "Congratulations, Chuck."

He only tore his eyes away from his fiancée for a moment to address Serena, "Thanks, Charity. All of your help was greatly appreciated."

Serena smiled and then looked back and forth between him and Blair, noting the distance that the brunette had kept herself at, "Well, I guess I should be going. I'll see you tomorrow, right Blair?"

"Of course, S," Blair said, flashing a quick, tight smile towards her best friend before the blonde took her cue and left the newly engaged couple alone.

Once she was gone, Blair walked closer to Chuck with her hands on her hips, "So, what are you doing here, Bass?"

Chuck reached forward and pulled her against him, "I missed you." He mumbled against her neck.

She laughed as she gently pushed him away and shook her head, "No, no, no. Why are you _really_ here?"

"I _did_ miss you," He said as he pulled her close again and pressed a kiss to her lips, "And I wanted to see you before you confronted your grandparents," He admitted reluctantly, "I wanted to give you a reminder, some reinforcement if you will, of what you are fighting for."

Blair's eyes narrowed, "Chuck, I'm not going to let them change my mind. I can do this."

"I know you can. I just wish you would let me come with and support you."

Her face softened, "I can't-"

"I know," He said quickly, cutting off her explanation, "I know why you don't want me there with you, but will you at least let me give you a ride there? Let me wait for you outside, Waldorf, please. I want to be there for you, in whatever way you will let me."

"Okay," She said with a slight nod and a smile, "Okay, I'd like that."

…

As the elevator doors opened into the Waldorf penthouse, Blair had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. Knowing that Chuck was downstairs, waiting to comfort her after what would undoubtedly be a trying conversation helped comfort her but she was still worried about what was to come.

She had just taken her first hesitant steps into the apartment when Eleanor turned the corner and saw her, "Oh, it's you."

"Hello, Grandmother." Blair said calmly.

Eleanor crossed her arms and looked the younger woman up and down, "Well, I hope you are happy with yourself. You have caused quite the uproar. Your grandfather has been meeting with William Vanderbilt all morning, trying to keep him calm. Luckily for you word hasn't leaked to the press yet, and you can still make it so that they never find out about this minor lapse in judgment. Your grandfather seems to think that if you just speak with Trip-"

"No." Blair interrupted in a firm voice, "He already told me that Trip would be willing to work through this, but I don't want that. I ended things with him for a reason. Our engagement, our whole relationship, was a mistake." She looked down and began twisting the ring on her left hand, "Besides, I've already moved on."

"Excuse me?" Eleanor asked in shock, "You only broke up with Trip less than twenty four hours ago."

"Yes, but I broke up with him because I love someone else. And thankfully he still loves me too."

Eleanor rolled her eyes, "Oh please tell me you are not talking about that Bass boy again."

Blair's face hardened, "Yes, Grandmother, I am. You see, unlike you or Grandfather or my mom and dad, Chuck has always pushed me to think about what _I_ wanted before anything else. And I want him. I always have, and you know it. I love him, Grandmother, and nothing is ever going to change that. He makes me happy. Why can't you just support me in that?"

"Because, Blair, it is a mistake. That boy is no good. He is an immature delinquent who is only using you and everyone is aware of it but you."  
"He isn't-"

"Yes, he is," Eleanor said sternly, "You are just so blinded by your misguided affection for him that you can't see what is crystal clear to everyone else."

Blair pointed her finger at her grandmother angrily, "And you are so blinded by your preconceived judgments of his character and your hatred for his father to see how perfect he is for me."

Eleanor took a deep breath in order to calm down and try and reason with her granddaughter, "Blair, Bart Bass is-"

But Blair was still enraged and cut her off, "Bart Bass is a manipulative scoundrel with no class. But Chuck isn't his father. If you would just give him a chance you would see that he is just as disgusted by what Bart does sometimes as you are."

Eleanor scoffed, "I highly doubt that."

"Well you are wrong." Blair said before she sighed in defeat, "I have spent my entire life trying to do what you and my mom and everyone expected and wanted me to do. But in this I can't. I can't marry someone just because you approve of him. I love Chuck and I am going to marry him, whether you like it or not."

Eleanor's eyes flashed with anger as she noticed the new engagement ring for the first time. Her whole body became ridged with rage, "You will do no such thing. Your grandfather and I's opinion has not changed. If you insist on being with that boy, you will not be accepted as a part of our family and you will no longer receive any of the benefits that come along with the Waldorf name."

Blair's anger instantly returned, "Fine. You know as well as I do that Chuck and his father are more than capable of taking care of me and providing all the opportunities that you would be trying to take away."

Eleanor shook her head in shame, "I used to be so proud to call you my granddaughter, but now you are just a disgrace to this family. If you are really going to stay with Charles, don't you ever show your face here ever again. You will not be welcome here."

The words stabbed at Blair's heart, but she kept her cold mask in place, "All right. I just hope you will pass along the good news of my upcoming nuptials to my mother. Since she obviously will share the same views as you, I will most likely not be speaking with her anytime soon."

Eleanor didn't respond, so Blair just turned to leave the apartment before her grandmother could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She entered the elevator without another word and as soon as the doors closed she couldn't hold her façade together any longer and she began to cry.

As the elevator reached the ground floor, she expected Chuck to be waiting in the limo and she dreaded the lonely, humiliating walk across the lobby. But when the doors opened Chuck was standing right outside the elevator waiting for her.

"What-?" was all she was able to choke out before he enveloped her in his arms.

"Shh," he soothed her as he stroked her hair, "I thought you would want the immediate company."

"Thank you," She whispered against his shirt as she clutched him closer to her and continued to cry.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Ah, last chapter! Ugh, it has only taken me forever to write it. Hahaha. But I am going to miss it. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and for all your lovely reviews! I hope you enjoy the ending!

…

After he had graduated from Columbia, Chuck's father had given him a powerful position in Bass Industries, effectively training him to one day take over the family business.

A few days after he had proposed to Blair, Chuck was going over some paperwork in his recently furnished office as he waited to see if his ten o'clock appointment would show up or not.

Just as his clock turned to 10am, Chuck's secretary opened the door to tell him his appointment had arrived and with Chuck's permission she let the man into the room and left.

"Mr. Waldorf, it is great to see you," Chuck said as he stood and gestured for the older man to be seated in the chair in front of him, "I wasn't sure if you would show."

"To be honest, I wasn't sure myself." Harold said as both men sat down, "I have been going back and forth about it since I got your message, but I was curious as to what exactly you wanted. You must know that I do not approve of your relationship with my granddaughter. I am in complete agreement with my wife on that issue. You are simply not good enough for our Blair."

"I agree with you." Chuck said softly before he met Harold's gaze confidently, "But frankly, sir, I don't think anyone is really good enough for Blair. She is the epitome of class and perfection. There is not a man alive who could be worthy of a woman like her."

Harold looked surprised at Chuck's words as he nodded towards the younger boy, "Go on."

Chuck leaned forward with his elbows on his desk, "Mr. Waldorf, while I may not be exactly what you envisioned for your granddaughter when you pictured her perfect spouse, I am what she wants and what she needs. I love her, sir; I always have. I have been there for her through everything and I will continue to love and support her. I may not be what you want for Blair, but you have to know that with me you would never have to worry about her being hurt or broken. I could never-"

Harold was nodding as he looked away for a moment, "Yes, yes. Despite your history of questionable actions I know that you have always been good to my granddaughter."

"I've been more than good to her," Chuck argued, "And that will only continue once we are married. The last two and a half years without her were the worst years of my life. I can't imagine going another day without her and I would never do anything to jeopardize my relationship with her."

Harold sighed, "Charles, while you don't come from the best family or have the best reputation, I do have to admit that Blair is a different person with you; a happier person." Harold paused and drummed his fingers together, "But we still have to get to why I'm here today. Certainly you didn't invite me here just to convince me of your love for my granddaughter."

Chuck smirked, "No, that was just a bonus." He narrowed his eyes seriously, "I actually have a request for you. I'm sure you are aware of Blair's long-held desire to wed on your Hampton property. Eleanor has repeatedly told her it will never happen and Blair doesn't even mention the possibility anymore, but I know it is what she wants. And I plan on giving her everything she has ever dreamed of both in this wedding and throughout our marriage."

Harold looked down and shook his head, "Charles, Waldorfs always get married in a church."

Chuck's eyes darkened slightly, "Yes, well she is going to be a Bass, and the Basses get married wherever the hell we want to." He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face, "Mr. Waldorf, this is something Blair wants, I know, even if she has been pretending otherwise. If you refuse to let us marry on your property, that won't stop us. I have already hired someone to begin searching for homes in the Hamptons that could serve as possible fill-ins, should you turn us down. Whether we wed at your home or at someone else's, Blair will not be marrying in a church. That has already been decided."

Harold looked Chuck in the eyes for a moment before he nodded once, "If you are going to marry at my home, I do have one condition."

…

Later that week, Chuck and Blair were in the limo, headed to see the location Chuck had picked out for their wedding.

Blair was clutching his hand tightly, nervous and excited at the same time, "I know you have great taste, but what if I don't like it?" She asked him.

He smiled softly as his thumb stroked the back of hand, "Then we will find a different venue. But I'm fairly confident you will approve."

Blair sighed and looked back out of the window anxiously. A few minutes later she recognized where they were going and turned to him with wide eyes, "We're going to the Hamptons? We're getting married in the Hamptons?"

Chuck didn't respond, but from the look on his face and the dancing glint in his eyes she knew she was correct. She immediately squealed and snuggled up closer against his side, "Oh my God, the Hamptons! You _do_ have good taste. What place are we looking at?"

Chuck knew she was trying to trick him into telling her his top secret location and he wasn't fooled. He kissed her nose and gave her a knowing look, "You'll see when we get there."

She pouted for a moment before she began thinking about all the little chapels and grand churches that could be the possible hosts of their nuptials and her smile quickly reappeared.

When they began to travel down the familiar streets that lead to the Waldorf summer home, Blair turned to Chuck with wide, questioning eyes but she didn't ask any questions and he didn't make any explanations. He simply squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly.

They pulled up in front of Harold and Eleanor's house and Blair stared out the window before looking at her fiancé, "Chuck-"

But at that moment their driver opened the door and Chuck stepped out of the limo. He leaned down and reached his hand back inside towards her, "Come on, Waldorf. Let's take a look around."

Despite her hesitations, Blair took his hand and exited the car as well. Once she was standing, Chuck put an arm around her waist and kissed her hair. He began leading her forward, but Blair wouldn't budge, "Chuck we can't. My grandparents won't allow it."

"They're not here." Chuck said with a smirk, "They are in Paris for a few days."

"That's great, but even if they are gone now, I think they will notice in six weeks if we try to put on an entire wedding in their backyard!"

"It has already been approved." Chuck said as he once again tried to get Blair to follow him onto the property.

But Blair refused to be moved, "What? Eleanor would never-,"

"Eleanor has no say," Chuck interrupted, "Legally speaking, of course. This home is held solely in the name of Harold Waldorf, so really it is his decision. And when I met with him he agreed to let us use it, after some convincing of course."

"You spoke with my grandfather?" Blair asked softly in awe. Chuck had never cared much about making a good impression on her family or anyone else, so the fact that he made an effort really meant a lot.

Chuck looked smug as he replied, "He came by the office after we got engaged. Once I explained how much I love you, he was more than willing to let us hold the wedding here, under one simple condition."

Blair looked wary, "Which is…?"

"If your family still refuses to attend the wedding, which at this point seems likely, Harold would like the honor of escorting you down the aisle, if it is alright with you."

Blair had tears shining in her eyes as she smiled, "I would love that." She wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "Thank you."

"I know how long you have dreamed about getting married here." Chuck said softly, "And I plan to give you the dream wedding you have always wanted."

…

Chuck and Blair's wedding was held at the Waldorf's Hampton house six weeks later and it was absolutely beautiful. All the guests said Blair look stunning and the set up was like something out of a fairytale.

Blair's parents did decide to attend only a few days before the ceremony but they refused to participate, which was fine with Blair. She thought it was more fitting that Harold walked her down the aisle rather than her own father anyway.

Eleanor was the only family member who staunchly refused to even speak of the upcoming nuptials throughout the whole planning process and Blair was sure she was not going to attend. But while she waited with her grandfather as the bridesmaids walked down the aisle ahead of her, she noticed Eleanor sitting in the very last row right on the end. Evidently she had changed her mind and decided to sneak in at the last moment.

At the reception everyone was having a good time and giving their congratulations to the happy couple, who could not keep their eyes, and hands, off of each other.

Chuck had parted with his bride for a few moments to speak with his father and some Bass Industries executives when Eleanor approached to speak with her.

"Grandmother," Blair greeted with a smile as she neared. Not even Eleanor's negative attitude could dampen her happiness, "I'm glad you decided to come."

Eleanor looked away as she answered casually, "Well, you are still my granddaughter, even if you are making an awful choice."

Blair closed her eyes and took a deep breath to keep herself calm, "Look, I know you don't like Chuck but-"

"You're right, I don't like him," Eleanor interrupted, "And do you want to know why that is, Blair? I don't trust him. He has too much to gain from this relationship while you are getting absolutely nothing in return. It isn't an even relationship."

"But I get everything." Blair explained, "Don't you understand that? He is everything to me. I only need him."

Eleanor looked at her knowingly, "Well then it is going to hurt all the more when he stabs you in the back. I just don't want to see you end up hurt."

Blair glared at her defiantly, "He won't do that, Grandmother. He could never do that to me. If you would just give him a chance, he would prove all your judgments of him completely wrong."

Eleanor shrugged, "I guess only time will tell. Just don't expect my sympathies when I am proved absolutely right."

"Okay, Grandmother," Blair said with a roll of her eyes, refusing to start a fight on her wedding day.

Timidly, Eleanor reached forward and pushed a lose curl behind Blair's ear, "You do look beautiful, Blair. Despite my reservations about the groom, your wedding was wonderful."

Blair smiled softly, "Thank you."

The older woman quickly dropped her hand and became serious once again, "Yes, well, at least Bart Bass now has that connection he has always wanted to our family and our fortune."

"Too bad his son made that connection with the only Waldorf with absolutely no access to that fortune." Blair pointed out good-naturedly. She wasn't bitter anymore about the fact that her grandparents had cut her off; she had just married into one of the wealthiest families in the world, her inheritance really was a non-issue at this point.

But to Blair's surprise, Eleanor scoffed and waved her hand dismissively, "Oh please, Blair, do you really think your grandfather and I are going to leave all that money to your prissy little sisters? They are going to spend the rest of their lives in Suburbia with soccer mom haircuts and high-waisted, ill-fitted jeans from the Gap. That would be the biggest waste of our fortune that I could imagine."

"But, I thought-"

"That was only a temporary threat," Eleanor explained, "Made with the hope that you would change your mind and find a more qualified suitor. Your grandfather never would have let me cut you off forever." She shrugged slightly as she continued, "Besides, your grandfather took the time to point out to me that as much as I may dislike Charles, even he is ten times better than whatever unintelligent jock or frat boy your sisters are sure to end up marrying."

Blair threw her head back and laughed just as Chuck returned and placed his arm around her waist, "Hey Mrs. Bass," He whispered in her ear as he eyed Eleanor warily. He didn't want anyone to ruin Blair's perfect day, and he knew Eleanor had the potential to do just that.

Blair turned slightly in his arms and pressed a kiss to his lips, "Hey, yourself. You were gone for a long time."

"I know, I'm sorry. Bart started talking business," He explained with a roll of his eyes, "The caterer saved me. Apparently they are ready for us to cut the cake. If now is a good time?" He asked cautiously, looking between Blair and her grandmother.

"Oh no, now is fine, right Grandma?" Blair asked as she looked away from her husband with a glowing smile.

"Yes, yes, go on you two. Have fun." Eleanor said as she shooed them away with her hands.

Blair's grin grew even larger and Chuck looked surprised at the older woman's warm teasing tone as he and Blair began to walk away. But they had only moved a few steps before Chuck paused and turned to address his new in-law.

"Oh, and Eleanor," Chuck said, "There is a least one good thing about being a part of Bart's family: when he is being his usual obnoxious self, you're now allowed to just tell him to fuck off."

Eleanor eyes widened in shock at Chuck's harsh language, but as he smirked and sent her a wink, a small smile appeared on her face. The boy did have a point. She didn't have to be polite anymore. What was the worst Bart could do if she wasn't? His son was now married to the major heir of the Waldorf fortune. It wasn't like he was going to bankrupt her. Chuck Bass may not have been Eleanor's first choice for her granddaughter, but now that she really thought about it, maybe he wasn't such a bad companion for Blair after all.


End file.
